Related resources

Document archive

• Overview
• Closer Economic Relations: Positive Points - January 2005
• Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement: 1983-2003 Backgrounder

More resources

• CER FAQ
• Key CER Instruments
• Biosecurity and Quarantine
• Biotechnology
• Rules of Origin
• Trade in Services
• Single Economic Market
• Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA)
• Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement (TTTA)
• Trade Statistics
• The Australia - New Zealand Closer Economic Relationship Booklet 2005 PDF (559KB)
• New Zealand Government Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade on CER May 2006

External links

• Air Services Agreements (Ministry of Transport)
• MoU on the Coordination of Business Law (Ministry of Economic Development)
• Joint Food Standards Agreement (NZ Food Safety Authority)
• Double Tax Agreement (Inland Revenue Department)
• Competition Commissions' Cooperation (PDF 80KB) (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission)
• CER Ministerial 2007 Joint Communique (Australian Trade Minister website)
• Australian government information on CER
• WTO website
• Text of Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement - ANZCERTA - Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Media Releases

• 2007 CER Ministerial Forum Joint Statement - Australian Minister for Trade Website 31 July 2007
• Australia-NZ CER Ministerial Communique - Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, 11 December 2004

Publication

• A Basic Guide to Free Trade Agreements (PDF 751KB)

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Glossary

Although we have tried to use plain English content on the site, you may come across specialist terms and acronyms. Find out what they mean in our glossary of terms.

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Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations

Agreement entered into force 1 January 1983

Australia and New Zealand have one of the most open economic and trade relationships of any two countries. This is based on a comprehensive set of trade and economic arrangements, collectively known as Closer Economic Relations (CER), which underpin substantial flows of merchandise trade, services, investment, labour and visitors between the two countries.

The Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement entered into force on 1 January 1983, replacing the earlier New Zealand Australia Free Trade Agreement. This provided a basis on which the two governments have built an extensive array of agreements and arrangements, substantially extending CER and ensuring its continuing relevance to both countries.

Progress towards the comprehensive arrangement that exists today began in the 1980s with efforts to achieve integration through free trade in goods and services. Having achieved this by 1990, both countries moved progressively towards much deeper integration of policies, laws and regulatory regimes through processes of coordination, mutual recognition and harmonisation. This has been underpinned by frequent contact between Ministers and government agencies of both countries, by the closeness of the two societies through kinship, travel, business and social relationships and by the increasing integration of markets.

For more background information and relevant documents, please see the CER document archive.

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