Joint Standing Committee on Treaties

Committee activities (inquiries and reports)

Report 87 Treaties tabled on 13 June 2007

Treaty between Australia and the Kingdom of Thailand on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, Kuala Lumpur, 27 July 2006

Agreement on Health Care Insurance between Australia and the Kingdom of Belgium, Canberra, 10 August 2006

Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda on the Exchange of Information with Respect to Taxes, Saint John’s, Antigua 30 January 2007

Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Respect of the Netherlands Antilles for the Exchange of Information with Respect to Taxes, Canberra, 1 March 2007

Agreement on Operational and Strategic Cooperation between Australia and the European Police Office (Europol) (The Hague, 20 February 2007)

Protocol between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China Amending the Agreement for the Surrender of Accused and Convicted Persons of 15 November 1993, Hong Kong, 19 March 2007

Extension of the Agreement of 4 December 1997 between the Government of Australia and the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization in relation to the functioning of the Australian Patent Office as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty

International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004, London, 13 February 2004

August 2007
Canberra

© Commonwealth of Australia 2007

ISBN 978 0 642 78986 0 (printed version)
ISBN 978 0 642 78987 7 (HTML version)

Contents

Membership of the committee
Resolution of Appointment
List of abbreviations
List of recommendations

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Treaty between Australia and the Kingdom of Thailand on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters
Chapter 3 The Agreement on Health Care Insurance between Australia and the Kingdom of Belgium
Chapter 4 Agreements for the Exchange of Information with respect to Taxes with Antigua and Barbuda and with the Netherlands in respect of the Netherlands Antilles
Chapter 5 Agreement on Operational and Strategic Cooperation between Australia and the European Police Office (Europol) (The Hague, 20 February 2007)
Chapter 6 Amendment to the Hong Kong Extradition Treaty
Chapter 7 Extension of the Agreement in relation to the functioning of the Australian Patent Office as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty
Chapter 8 Report on the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (London, 13 February 2004)
Appendix A - Submissions
Appendix B - Witnesses

Membership of the Committee

Committee Secretariat

Resolution of appointment

The Resolution of Appointment of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties allows it to inquire into and report upon:

1. matters arising from treaties and related National Interest Analyses and proposed treaty actions presented or deemed to be presented to the Parliament;
2. any question relating to a treaty or other international instrument, whether or not negotiated to completion, referred to the committee by:
1. either House of the Parliament, or
2. a Minister; and
• such other matters as may be referred to the committee by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and on such conditions as the Minister may prescribe.

List of abbreviations

List of recommendations

2 Treaty between Australia and the Kingdom of Thailand on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters

Recommendation 1

The Committee supports the Treaty between Australia and the Kingdom of Thailand on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, Kuala Lumpur, 27 July 2006, and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

3 The Agreement on Health Care Insurance between Australia and the Kingdom of Belgium

Recommendation 2

The Committee supports the Agreement on Health Care Insurance between Australia and the Kingdom of Belgium and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

4 Agreements for the Exchange of Information with respect to Taxes with Antigua and Barbuda and with the Netherlands in respect of the Netherlands Antilles

Recommendation 3

The Committee supports the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda on the Exchange of Information with Respect to Taxes, Saint John’s, Antigua 30 January 2007 and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

Recommendation 4

The Committee supports the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Respect of the Netherlands Antilles for the Exchange of Information with Respect to Taxes, Canberra, 1 March 2007 and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

5 Agreement on Operational and Strategic Cooperation between Australia and the European Police Office (Europol) (The Hague, 20 February 2007)

Recommendation 5

The Committee supports the Agreement on Operational and Strategic Cooperation between Australia and the European Police Office (The Hague, 20 February 2007) and recommends binding treaty action be taken.

6 Amendment to the Hong Kong Extradition Treaty

Recommendation 6

The Committee supports the Protocol between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China Amending the Agreement for the Surrender of Accused and Convicted Persons of 15 November 1993, Hong Kong, 19 March 2007 and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

7 Extension of the Agreement in relation to the functioning of the Australian Patent Office as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty

Recommendation 7

The committee supports the Extension of the Agreement in relation to the functioning of the Australian Patent Office as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and recommends binding treaty action be taken.

8 Report on the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (London, 13 February 2004)

Recommendation 8

The Committee supports the Convention on the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

Comments to: The Secretary of the Committee on PH: (02) 6277 4002 or FAX: (02) 6277 2219
or e-mail: jsct@aph.gov.au
Last reviewed 17 February, 2010 by Committee Secretariat
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