Senator James Paterson discusses the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement and has re-advocated his support for both the UK and Canada to join or negotiate a similar series of bilateral agreements as the Closer Economic Relations (CER) and Trans-Tasman Travel Area (TTTA) already existing between Australia and New Zealand. He states that these are models for the Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom Agreement, which is often abbreviated as the CANZUK agreement.

The immediate priority should be a comprehensive free trade agreement that is based on principles of mutual recognition and which contains generous visa provisions that make it easier for Australian and UK citizens to live and work in each country.
• In the years to come Australia and the UK should build on this agreement so that it is comparable to the world-leading CER agreement between Australia and New Zealand.
• Just as the CER agreement is complemented by the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement (TTTA), an Australia-UK free trade agreement should eventually include immigration provisions of similar scope.
• As a first step towards easing immigration restrictions, the initial Australia-UK agreement should contain relaxed visa provisions that allow Australian and UK citizens to easily obtain visas when they have job offers. This should require minimal regulatory compliance and be simpler to get than the standard work visas in each country.
• The ultimate goal should be to use the CER-style agreement between Australia and the UK as the basis for an agreement between the four CANZUK countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
• This CANZUK agreement should include a freedom of movement provision based on the TTTA; this has proven to be flexible and adaptable to the varying needs of both Australia and New Zealand. This flexibility will help preserve national sovereignty, and it makes the TTTA the ideal model for a CANZUK agreement.