19 Nov 2011

End to trade barriers urged

11:01 am on 19 November 2011

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has appealed for the removal of trade barriers in the Asian-Pacific region.

At a business meeting at the ASEAN summit in Bali on Friday, she said expanding markets and eliminating trade barriers are the key to global economic growth.

But Ms Gillard said leaders in the region need to do more to increase free trade in Asia, saying trade equals growth and growth equals jobs.

Ms Gillard told the summit that economic growth is lifting millions of people out of poverty. She commended many of the countries at the summit for moving towards that end, but said more needed to be done.