[3] Australia and Norway share similar views in many matters, including human rights, international peace and order, sustainability, and open trade.

In 2001, disagreements on the MV Tampa affair resulted in intense public exchanges between the authorities of Australia and Norway.

Australia and Norway, together with New Zealand, France and the United Kingdom, are the only nations that jointly recognize the sovereignty over the territorial claims in Antarctica of each other.

[8] The agreement about the limit between the two countries’ territories is the result of a settlement between Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen, a Norwegian captain, and Sir Douglas Mawson, who led the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE), in January 1930.

[14] Today, Norway still maintains its commercial hunting of common minke and fin whales with self-set quotas, mainly in the North Atlantic and are under no obligation to comply with any regulations or prohibitions of the IWC.

[4] In response, Australia denied any obligation to allow entry for the rescued people arising from the conveying the mentioned request.

[4] ‘Acrimonious’ public exchanges were made between Australia and Norway as a result of both countries’ continuing denials of responsibility.

[4] Accusation was made by the Australian Prime Minister at that time that the medical situation on the freighter Tampa was exaggerated by the captain.

[4] Norway maintained its official view that the search and rescue was led by Australia in conformity Article 98 of UNCLOS and the MV Tampa was just a participant.

[4] Norwegian authorities replied by arguing that the decision of the captain could not be disputed by Australia as it was not within the Australian government's rights to do so.

[4] Australia concluded that, therefore, Norway was responsible for the guarantee that the MV Tampa, after docking Christmas Island, would not leave the port without having first met all the safety requirements.

[18] The difference between import and export values (‘asymmetries’) in bilateral trade reported by any two countries is caused by several reasons.

[19] Australia's top three product categories imported from Norway, in order of monetary value, are: boats, ships, and floating structures; liquids pumps and parts; instruments for measuring and analyzing.

[1] The top three types of goods exported to Norway by Australia, in order of monetary value, include: aluminum ores; pharmaceutical products; instruments for measuring and analyzing.

[25] The countries in this Annex aims to obtain additional emissions allowed for 2008-2012, the earliest commitment period, through negotiation.