AUSTRALIA: Governments of the Assn. of South...

AUSTRALIA: Governments of the Assn. of South East Asia Nations have urged Australia to adopt an “open sky” airline policy and waive the need for visas on short visits. The ASEAN nations--Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines--also complained that despite its claims to be a regional partner, Australia looked more to Japan and Western markets for business. While welcoming recent lowering of tariffs by Australia, they remained critical of continued protection of Australian industry against competition from Southeast Asia. These points were in discussion papers and a communique released at the end of the ASEAN-Australia Forum in Canberra.