RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SG/W/140
12March 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-0870)
Original: English Committee onSafeguards
REPLIES TOQUESTIONS POSED BYCANADA1
CONCERNING THE NOTIFICATION PROVIDED BYAUSTRALIA2
OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS UNDER ARTICLE 12.6OFAGREEMENT
Thefollowing communication, dated 5March 1996, hasbeenreceived from thePermanent
Mission ofAustralia.
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Question
Does theGovernment ofAustralia have, under existing legislation, theauthority toimpose
anysafeguard measure ofthetypeprovided forinArticle XIXofGATT 1994?
WilltheGovernment ofAustralia please confirm thatthefactthatAustralia didnotnotify a
legislative texttotheWTO Committee onSafeguards implies thattheGovernment cannot legally impose
asafeguard measure without thepassage ofneworadditional legislation.
Answer
Asdiscussed atthemeeting oftheCommittee inDecember 1995, Article XIXofGATT 1994
andtheAgreement onSafeguards donotgovern theimposition oftypes ofmeasures perse(apart from
subparagraph 1(b)ofArticle 11oftheAgreement onSafeguards), rather theysetoutonepossible avenue
forMembers toobtain cover under theAgreement Establishing theWTO forcertain actions thatwould
beinconsistent withother Articles ofGATT 1994.
AsalsodiscussedatthemeetingoftheCommitteeinDecember1995,theAgreementEstablishing
theWTO isnotpartofAustralian domestic legislation. Moreover asexplained atthatmeeting, while
theappropriate procedures referred toinArticle 3oftheAgreement onSafeguards arenotcurrently
inplace, toputthem inplace would notrequire anewactoranamendment ofexisting acts,though
thatpossibility could notbeexcluded given thehypothetical nature ofthequestion.
1G/SG/W/115.
2G/SG/N/1/AUS/1.