66. The representative of Australia said that it was important to find an expeditious solution and that for this reason he supported a waiver from among the proposals put forward. While his delegation was open to other options, comments made by various delegations so far had only strengthened his view that a waiver was the best way to move forward. He said that an amendment was not consistent with the expeditious solution required by the Declaration. A waiver could be applied quickly as all Members were aware of the procedures involved and it could be put in place for a long period of time and, further, it could be framed in such a way that a decision not to extend a waiver would require a consensus from all Members. He said that, more importantly, a waiver under Article IX:4 had in-built transparency. This was also supportive of anti-diversion measures under Article 44 of the TRIPS Agreement. It was his view that, for all those reasons, the solution of a waiver did not have to be an interim solution and could be the more permanent one that all the Members were looking for.
