PACER Plus one year on: Phil Twyford outlines the benefits being provided by the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus.

PACER Plus is a unique trade agreement as it is both a trade and a development agreement, with an aim to support long-term job growth and sustainable development in the Pacific region. I am determined to amplify this aspect of the agreement, as I think it is vital for establishing and maintaining the social licence for trade in the region. We do not have to look far in the world today to see the implications of failing to do this.

These goals of the agreement have become more vital as the region looks to overcome the impacts of the pandemic that has so changed our world--something which our wider strategy for engagement with the Pacific is focused on.

Trade done right offers more than just better GDP figures on paper--it means sustainable development and real improvements in living standards. When PACER Plus entered into force in 2020, I saw its potential to develop the Pacific's capability to take advantage of the wider benefits from trade--to make a difference for communities, families and businesses. It is very pleasing that we have continued to make progress on PACER Plus despite the impact of the pandemic.

Four developments

I would like to take a moment to reflect on four developments over the last year. First, a focus in 2021 was on standing up the key institutional structures to support the agreement, one of which is the PACER Plus Implementation Unit headed by Roy Lagolago. Operating out of Samoa, the unit will manage the roll out of the A$25.5 million development and economic co-operation package, which provides trade related assistance to our Pacific partners.

Central to the success of the PPIU is a clear direction of travel. It is very pleasing that the parties have agreed a work programme for Lagolago and the team to implement into the medium term. The work programme leverages a comprehensive rapid needs assessment (RNA) undertaken by PACER Plus parties and focuses on building the foundations for success. As the work programme notes in its introduction, laying the right foundations sets us up for success in the future. I would like to thank all of those that contributed to the RNA and the development of the work programme and I look forward to hearing progress reports from Lagolago the next time I meet with my PACER Plus ministerial colleagues this year.

Second, as we know customs processes are a key component of international trade, allowing goods to move through borders--provided you have the correct paper work. And in many...

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