Australia is not the answer to Britain's EU problem

Boris Johnson’s curious belief that Australia provides a model for the agreement he seeks with the EU  has never been put under any serious scrutiny. The European Commission president,

Ursula von Der Leyen, a woman of infinite politeness chided the prime minister earlier this year when she pointed out that the EU does not yet have a trade agreement with Australia. So to

claim Australia as a model means trading on World Trade Organisation terms, as one might with Mongolia or Venezuela.

Australia’s biggest export is iron ore. Britain’s is cars made by Japanese firms. These vehicles were promised full single market access in a deal brokered by Mrs Thatcher, a deal that held

good until the current government arrived. Australian-style WTO tariffs imposed on made-in-Sunderland Nissans and exports from the UK would be ruinous.

Everyone in Britain, more or less, likes Australia and Canada and might wish the UK was closer to either or both English speaking nations. But Churchill, speaking on the BBC in 1934, dealt

with this fantasy. “Let us fix our gaze across the ocean and lead our own life in the midst of our peace-loving dominions and empire. There is much to be said for this plan if only we could

unfasten the British islands from their rock foundations and could tow them 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean and anchor them safely upon the smiling coasts of Canada. I have not heard

of any way in which this could be done.”

This is still true today. Here are a further ten reasons why the Australian model may not be that appealing to Britain.

1)   30 per cent of the Australian population are immigrants. A key driver of Brexit passions was to reduce immigration, not increase it to Australian levels. This century the majority of

immigrants into Australia have been Asian.

2)   We do not have 10,000 Australian lorries a day arriving in Dover and Folkestone bringing 85 per cent of our fresh fruit and vegetables and two thirds of the bacon, bangers and ham we

eat. When customs checks of even the most nugatory nature are imposed on those lorries the queues may stretch 50 miles.

3)   You have to pay for a visa to visit Australia. It can be as high as U$$1,000 if you seek work.

4)   Using the European Arrest Warrant, the British police have secured the return of 4,572 criminals from other EU member states in the last decade avoiding endless, costly extradition

proceedings. The number of criminals extradited from Australia to Britain is in the low double figures, as lawyers can fight extradition cases through several levels of courts.

5)   Australia runs a strong positive balance of trade in both goods and services. The UK has a chronic deficit in exporting goods but makes up for that with a positive balance of trade in

exporting services to the EU. Losing EU unfettered single market access for the City, for professional services, or for the UK’s creative industries will be hard to replace.

6)   Taking early retirement or relocating to the warmer south on Europe has become commonplace for Brits in recent years. In Australia, you cannot retire there from Britain until aged 55 or

over and cannot bring any dependents other than a spouse. According to Australia’s Association of Superannuation Funds you need up to AU$9,400 (£5,230) for a year’s health insurance which

is free for the 2 million Brits living in Europe.

7)   British citizens cannot own a business in Australia and need to pay for an Australian citizen to be a front person. This is in contrast to the 450 million-strong single market in which

any British citizen or firm can operate anywhere under existing single market rules.

8)   More than 200,000 British students have studied in Europe under the Erasmus Programme. The Australian High Commission in London “does not have an Education Officer and cannot assist

with education enquiries”.

9)   According to Universities UK, research funding from the EU generates more than 19,000 jobs in Britain £1.86 billion for the UK economy and contributes more than £1 billion to GDP.

Australian universities have written to the British government asking to be involved in EU research funding which dries up if a so-called Australian deal is the limit of Boris Johnson’s

ambitions.

10)   Brits take 73 million flights a year to Europe (pre-Covid). The flying time to Australia is 22 hours and costs a minimum of £700. For Europe an hour or two. Eurotunnel fares start at

£19.

In short, the idea that Australia, great country as it is, offers a model for Brexit England is waltzing in the dark.

By proceeding, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy.

If an account exists for this email address, you will shortly receive an email from us. You will then need to:

Please note, this link will only be valid for 24 hours. If you do not receive our email, please check your Junk Mail folder and add info@thearticle.com to your safe list.