Guidance

List of UK-Australia FTA gender mainstreamed provisions

Published 26 June 2025

The FTA contains gender mainstreamed provisions throughout the agreement. For the full FTA text and other key documents to help you understand the agreement, see the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement.

Cross-border trade in services (CBTS)

Chapter 8, Article 8.8

Each Party shall ensure that measures relating to authorisation are based on criteria which preclude a competent authority from exercising its power of assessment in an arbitrary manner. If a Party adopts or maintains a measure relating to authorisation, it shall ensure that:

• those measures do not discriminate between men and women^{[footnote 1]}

Financial services

Chapter 9, Article 9.11

If a Party adopts or maintains measures relating to authorisation for the supply of a service, the Party shall ensure that:

• those measures do not discriminate on the basis of gender^{[footnote 2]}

Chapter 9, Article 9C.8

The Parties may share best practices to promote diversity^{[footnote 3]} in financial services and recognise the importance of building a diverse, including gender-balanced, financial services industry, and the positive impact that diversity has on balanced decision-making, consumers, workplace culture, investment, and competitive markets.

Investment

Chapter 13, Article 13.9

Each Party reaffirms the importance of encouraging investors operating within its territory or subject to its jurisdiction voluntarily to incorporate into their internal policies those internationally recognised standards, guidelines, and principles of corporate social responsibility that have been endorsed or are supported by that Party, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises done at Paris on 21 June 1976 and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights done at Geneva on 16 June 2011.

Digital

Chapter 14, Article 14.21

Recognising the global nature of digital trade, the Parties shall endeavour to:

• facilitate participation by women in digital trade, acknowledging the objectives in Chapter 24 (Trade and Gender Equality)

Small and medium-sized enterprises

Chapter 19, Article 19.1

The Parties recognise the importance of the participation of SMEs owned or led by under-represented groups, such as women, youth, indigenous peoples, persons with a disability and minority groups in international trade.

Labour

Chapter 21, Article 21.8

The Parties acknowledge the importance of gender equality and non-discrimination in employment and income opportunities for sustainable, equitable, and inclusive economic growth. Accordingly, each Party affirms its commitments to non-discrimination in employment, occupations, and places of work, and to take measures to advance anti-discrimination practices and address discriminatory practices, including those related to workplace sexual harassment, gender-based violence, gender pay gaps, and flexible working arrangements, as well as improve women’s access to decent work.

The Parties agree to share information on their respective domestic approaches and cooperate, as appropriate, on activities to address discriminatory practices, promote equality of opportunity in employment, and improve women’s access to decent work and the benefits of trade or investment. The Parties recognise the importance of carrying out cooperation activities with the inclusive participation of women.

Chapter 21, Article 21.12

Areas of cooperation may include:

• sharing best practice and the promotion and protection of equality and elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation for migrant workers, or in the areas of age, disability, gender, pregnancy, race, sexual orientation, and other characteristics of a diverse, multigenerational workforce that are not related to merit or the requirements of employment

1. Differential treatment that is reasonable and objective, and aims to achieve a legitimate purpose, and adoption by a Party of temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women, shall not be considered discrimination for the purposes of this subparagraph. ↩

2. Differential treatment that is reasonable and objective, and aims to achieve a legitimate purpose, and adoption by Parties of temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality across all genders, shall not be considered discrimination for the purposes of this provision. ↩

3. Diversity includes gender, ethnicity, and professional and educational background. ↩