ACITI Academy
ACITI Academy offers education and skill development courses on a range of international trade policy and practice topics. Our courses help participants understand Australian domestic and global developments driving trade and trade policy and develop the knowledge to successfully navigate them.
2026 Course Program
Course 1: Australia’s International Trade Policy Essentials
Dates:
9am to 5pm 19 February 2026
9am to 5pm 23 July 2026
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This course provides participants with a detailed understanding of the past and current theoretical and political drivers of Australia’s trade policy. The course details the policy tools successive Australian governments have employed in promoting Australia’s trade interests and explores how changes in domestic and international markets have impacted trade policy. The course describes the changing roles of Australia’s federal trade policy agencies. It examines the current challenges facing Australia’s trade policy in response to China’s rise, the climate challenge, and recent trade and tariff actions from the Trump Administration.
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Session 1: Australia’s Trade Policy History and Fundamentals
Session 2: Multilateralism and FTAs
Session 3: Australia’s Trade Agencies and Programs
Session 4: Current challenges
Cost: $850
Location: Barton, Canberra
Course 2: Understanding the World Trade Organisation
Dates:
9am to 5pm 19 March 2026
9am to 5pm 13 August 2026
Cost: $850
Location: Barton, Canberra
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This course provides participants with a detailed understanding of the World Trade Organisation and its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The course will detail the principal structures and functions of the WTO and provide Australia-relevant examples of the WTO in practice. The course will explore the impact of the WTO on global markets and trade flows. Finally, the course will examine current challenges facing the WTO with participants engaging in a discussion on the future of the organisation in light of these challenges.
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Session 1: GATT/WTO History and Principles
Session 2: WTO Structures and Functions
Session 3: WTO Outcomes and Impact
Session 4: Current challenges
Course 3: Understanding Australia’s Free Trade Agreements
Dates:
9am to 5pm 2 April 2026
9am to 5pm 3 September 2026
Cost: $850
Location: Barton, Canberra
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This course provides participants with an understanding of the evolution of Australia’s FTA policy and approach to FTA negotiations. This includes changes in the rationale for launching FTA negotiations and different negotiating strategies. The course describes the major characteristics and core structure of Australia’s FTAs. The course describes arguments on the impact and effectiveness of Australia’s FTAs in delivering both commercial and geopolitical outcomes. The course concludes with a discussion on current challenges to Australia’s existing suite of FTAs and the future of FTAs.
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Session 1: History and FTA Policy Fundamentals
Session 2: Australia’s FTAs: Characteristics and structure
Session 3: Australia’s FTAs: Impact and effectiveness
Session 4: Current challenges
Dates:
9am to 5pm 28 May 2026
9am to 5pm 29 October 2026
Cost: $850
Location: Barton, Canberra
Course 5: Understanding Agricultural Trade Policy Tools
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This course equipes participants with a detailed understanding of the principal policy tools used by governments that impact the international flow of agricultural products.
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Session 1: What are tariffs and how do they work
Session 2: Subsidies, dumping and trade remedies
Session 3: Quotas, Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, and standards
Session 4: Services trade and investment policy tools
Dates:
9am to 5pm 11 June 2026
9am to 5pm 19 November 2026
Cost: $850
Location: Barton, Canberra
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This course equipes participants with an understanding of the range of policy tools used by governments that impact the international flow of goods, services and intellectual property. The course details the different kinds of trade policy tools, their purpose and impact. The course will use examples of trade tools used by the Australian Government and by other governments that impact Australia.
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Session 1: Tariffs and goods trade policy tools, and trade remedies
Session 2: Services trade policy tools, digital trade, investment and intellectual property
Session 3: Subsidies, government procurement and competition policy
Session 4: State-owned enterprises, labour, gender, indigenous policies and environment.
Course 6: Current Issues Impacting Australia’s Trade Policy
Dates:
9am to 5pm 23 April 2026
9am to 5pm 24 September 2026
Cost: $850
Location: Barton, Canberra
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This course explores the current challenges to Australia’s international trade policy. It examines the foundations and evolution of Australia’s trade policy over time and its impact on trade. The course then describes the key challenges to Australia’s policies including the rise of China’s state-led, export-oriented economy, the climate challenge, growth of the digital economy and artificial intelligence and US trade and security unilateralism.
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Session 1: Australia’s trade policy foundations
Session 2: The China challenge
Session 3: The Climate Challenge and Rise of the Digital Economy and AI
Session 4: US trade and security unilateralism
Course 4: Understanding Tariffs and Other Trade Policy Tools
Dates:
9am to 5pm 7 May 2026
9am to 5pm 15 October 2026
Cost: $850
Location: Barton, Canberra
Course 8: Australia’s Trade Policy and Programs for Foreign Diplomats
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The course equipes foreign diplomats with a detailed understanding of Australia’s trade policies and programs. It explains the key drivers of Australian trade policy, evolution over time, and current challenges. The course covers the roles of relevant ministers, departments and agencies, and officials. It describes Australia’s trade and trade-related legislation and programs. It identifies the key stakeholders in Australia’s trade policy development and stakeholder engagement processes.
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Session 1: Australia’s trade policy, policy drivers, policy tools and current challenges
Session 2: Australia’s trade policy structures and agencies
Session 3: Australia’s trade legislation, parliamentary processes and programs
Session 4: Trade stakeholders and stakeholder engagement
Dates:
9am to 5pm 29 January 2026
9am to 5pm 2 July 2026
Cost: $850
Location: Barton, Canberra
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This course equips Australian policy makers with an understanding of how to effectively identify and engage with stakeholders. Participants will discuss the purpose of stakeholder engagement in the development and implementation of Australia’s trade policy and programs. The course will help participants identify different kinds of stakeholders, their motivations and incentives for engaging with government. The course then explores the different forms of stakeholder engagement in light of the purpose of engagement, and the reciprocal responsibilities of stakeholder engagement. The course discusses the issue of information exchange in terms of official and commercial in confidence requirements. It also outlines legal and Australian Public Service requirements relevant to stakeholder engagement. The course then asks participants to consider current issues impacting Australia’s international trade environment and possible new ways of engaging with stakeholders in response to new challenges. The course concludes with a discussion on the criteria for assessing the effectiveness of stakeholder engagement.
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Session 1: The purpose of stakeholder engagement and identifying stakeholders
Session 2: Different modes of engagement for different types of stakeholders – a two-way process
Session 3: The red lines of engagement
Session 4: New approaches to stakeholder engagement and measuring effectiveness
