The Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement: A Cornerstone of the Single Economic Market
The Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA) is a cornerstone of the efforts of the Australian and New Zealand governments to create a more seamless trans-Tasman market for the sale of goods and the movement of registered occupations. It is, and will continue to be, a powerful driver of trans-Tasman regulatory co-ordination and an important instrument for supporting and advancing the single economic market.
The TTMRA is based on the principles of equivalence of regulatory outcomes which is borne out of confidence in our respective regulatory approaches. This is why under the TTMRA a good which can be legally sold in New Zealand can be legally sold in Australia (and visa versa) without the need for any further testing or certification. Likewise, a person registered to practice an occupation in New Zealand is entitled to register to practice an equivalent occupation in Australia (and visa versa) without the need to undergo further testing or examination.
As a central driver of regulatory co-ordination, the TTMRA is minimising or removing regulatory barriers to trade - either through mutual recognition of our respective regulatory regimes or through harmonisation.
A review in 2003 confirmed that the TTMRA has significantly reduced transaction costs associated with the sale of goods and occupational registration on both sides of the Tasman since it came into effect in 1998. The review also found that there is a need to better inform regulators and business stakeholders of the strategic objectives and obligations of mutual recognition and to ensure mutual recognition implications are considered early in the policy and regulatory development process so that the TTMRA continues to fulfil its trade facilitation role.
Both Australia and New Zealand have taken steps to revise their policy and regulatory development frameworks to ensure mutual recognition obligations are considered at an early stage of the policy and regulatory design process. The COAG Principles and Guidelines for National Standards Setting and Regulatory Action by Ministerial Councils and Standards Setting Bodies (COAG Principles and Guidelines), which are a set of best practice requirements for developing regulatory proposals and for preparing Regulatory Impact Statements on those proposals, have been amended to ensure that mutual recognition issues are considered and, where necessary, resolved early in the policy development process. New Zealand is in the process of amending our Regulatory Impact Statement Guidelines along similar lines.
To complement this, a Protocol between MED and the Australian Office of Regulatory Review for consultation during regulatory impact statement development has been operational since September 2004. It enables New Zealand to provide comments at an early stage of policy development on Australian proposals which may have trans-Tasman implications.
In addition, a revised version of the Users' Guide to the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) and Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA) was launched in September this year. It has been designed to assist exporters, people in registered occupations, policy makers and regulators in both Australia and New Zealand to better understand the arrangements and to ensure that the benefits of mutual recognition are fully realised.
To further promote awareness and understanding of the TTMRA, MED hosted a series of seminars in November 2006. The seminars, which focused on occupational registration authorities, regulators and policy makers, provided an opportunity for people to better familiarise themselves with the key objectives and obligations of the TTMRA as well as the benefits it can offer.
MED has also set up a TTMRA enquiry point (ttmra@med.govt.nz) to assist you with any TTMRA related queries. We encourage you to use this resource and share your queries and experiences with the application of the TTMRA. This information will help officials consider the issues that will drive the next phase of the TTMRA development.
General information on the TTMRA, including a copy of the revised Users' Guide, is available at Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement.
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