The Australia-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (DEA) entered into force on 8 December 2020.
The DEA is a high ambition agreement, setting global benchmarks for digital trade rules and a range of practical cooperation initiatives to reduce barriers to digital trade and build an environment in which Australian businesses, investors and consumers are able to participate in and benefit from the digitalisation of the economy.
The DEA built on the digital trade arrangements between Australia and Singapore under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and upgraded digital trade arrangements in the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement. For example, it:
- delivers more robust rules that ensure businesses, including in the financial sector, can transfer data across borders and will not be required to build or use data storage centres in either jurisdiction
- improves protections for source code
- establishes new commitments on compatible e-invoicing and e-payment frameworks
- delivers new benchmarks for improving safety and consumer experiences online.
The DEA also delivers a comprehensive framework for bilateral cooperation through a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering data innovation, artificial intelligence, e‑invoicing, e-certification for agricultural exports and imports, trade facilitation, personal data protection, and digital identity.
A fact sheet and summary of the key outcomes of the DEA, and the signed MoUs are available on the DFAT website. The DEA delivers in a number of areas identified as a priority in submissions to both the public consultations process that informed the DEA negotiations and in response to the Future of Digital Trade Rules discussion paper.
Singapore is Australia's largest trade and investment partner in ASEAN. As two vibrant and open economies, we share an ambitious vision for improved economic integration between our countries to further enhance and facilitate investment opportunities in Australia and Singapore, as well as expand synergies and cooperation in the region.
On 6 August 2020, the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry digitally signed the DEA. This followed negotiations that were launched 12 October 2019 and concluded 23 March 2020.
Agreement of the scope of the DEA was announced on 13 October 2019 by the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry. Prior to this, a comprehensive scoping study was undertaken by Australian and Singaporean officials at the request of Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Lee Hsien Loong.
Cooperation on digital standards
Cooperation under the DEA also includes closer cooperation to support the harmonisation of key standards to support digital trade. This work has already begun with a jointly commissioned study to identify priority opportunities for increased digital standardisation, published in October 2020.
This study recommends ten areas of mutual benefit where Australia and Singapore can work on specific projects and programmes and align on international standards: artificial intelligence, distributed ledger technology, smart cities, digital identities, e-payments, e-invoicing, Internet of Things, data protection and privacy, cross-border data and data portability.
The full text of the study is now available here:
Australia-Singapore Digital Trade Standards Research Report
Australia-Singapore Digital Trade Standards presentation [PDF 1.3 MB]
This study was commissioned to provide findings and recommendation to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and to the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry. These findings and recommendations reflect the views of the commissioned authors and do not represent a statement of Australian Government policy.
Treaty text
The DEA entered into force on 8 December 2020.
The full text of the DEA is available here:
Australia-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement – full text [DOCX 104 KB]
Australia-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement – signed [PDF 633 KB]
The DEA amends the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement to replace the existing Electronic Commerce chapter with a new Digital Economy chapter, along with some other amendments that give effect to the new Digital Economy chapter.
We want to hear from you
We welcome your feedback on further potential areas of cooperation with Singapore on digital economy issues.
If you have any questions, please contact the DFAT Digital Trade team at: digitaltrade@dfat.gov.au
Resources
- DEA: fact sheet
- DEA: summary of key outcomes
- MoUs signed in connection with the DEA
- Australian Government response to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties report: Digital Economy Agreement – Singapore
- Media release: Australia-Singapore digital trade agreement kicks-off – 9 December 2020
- Media release: Australia and Singapore sign digital trade agreement – 6 August 2020
- Joint statement by the Prime Ministers of Australia and Singapore – 23 March 2020
- Media release: Australia and Singapore enhance digital trade ties – 23 March 2020
- Joint media release: Australia and Singapore scope landmark digital economy agreement – 13 October 2019
- Submissions on the Australia-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement
- Digital trade & the digital economy
- Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement
MOUs signed in connection with the Australia-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement
MoU on Data Innovation
The Australian Government and the Government of the Republic of Singapore will cooperate on joint projects using combined cross-border datasets to produce new insights, demonstrating the value of sharing trusted, anonymised data across borders.
Australia-Singapore MoU on Data Innovation [PDF]
MoU on Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence
The Australian Government and the Government of the Republic of Singapore will cooperate on Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, including new AI technologies, talent development and ethical standards to support the positive commercial application of AI in the digital economy.
Australia-Singapore MoU on Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence [PDF]
MoU on Trade Facilitation
The Australian Border Force, the Infocomm Media Development Authority and Singapore Customs will establish a cooperative relationship to develop compatible paperless trading systems for goods traded between Australia and Singapore.
Australia-Singapore MoU on Trade Facilitation [PDF]
MoU on Cooperation for Electronic Invoicing
The Australian Taxation Office and the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore will cooperate to expand e-invoicing interoperability in the region, based on the Peppol international framework. This MoU will make it easier for Australian small business to send and receive invoices between Australian and Singaporean businesses and with other businesses in the region.
Australia-Singapore MoU on Cooperation for Electronic Invoicing [PDF]
MoU on Electronic Certification Cooperation
The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and the Singapore Food Agency and National Parks Board of Singapore will cooperate on electronic certification of agricultural goods trade, a significant Australian export to and through Singapore.
Australia-Singapore MoU on Electronic Certification Cooperation [PDF]
MoU on Cooperation in Personal Data Protection
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Personal Data Protection Commission of Singapore share a common mission to protect personal information and uphold individuals’ privacy rights as data flows across borders. This MoU sets out the intentions of both organisations to cooperate through sharing experience, expertise, intelligence and information on best practice in relation to the protection of personal information.
Australia-Singapore MoU on Cooperation in Personal Data Protection [PDF]
MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Digital Identity
The Digital Transformation Agency and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office will cooperate to develop policy frameworks to support mutual recognition of digital identity systems, which can support more efficient government interactions by businesses operating across borders.
Australia-Singapore MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Digital Identity [PDF]
MoU on Fintech
The Australian Treasury and the Monetary Authority of Singapore will strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation on financial technology and support FinTech firms looking to expand in each other’s markets.
Australia-Singapore MoU on FinTech Bridge [signed PDF 3.1 MB] | [unsigned Word 85 KB]
MoU on Unsolicited Communications
The Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore will enhance cooperation in relation to combatting unsolicited telemarketing, spam and scams.
Australia-Singapore MoU on Unsolicited Communications [signed PDF 480 KB] | [unsigned Word 100 KB]