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Scott Morrison will soon announce an in-principle agreement towards an Australia-UK free trade deal after finalising the details with Boris Johnson.

The pair worked through outstanding issues over dinner at 10 Downing Street.

"Their agreement is a win for jobs, businesses, free trade and highlights what two liberal democracies can achieve while working together," the prime minister's spokesman told AAP.

The leaders will make a formal announcement in London on Tuesday.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan talked up the UK pact during a coalition party room meeting in Canberra.

"Our aim is to have the best deal outside of the deal with New Zealand. The negotiations have been hard fought," he said

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud was slightly more circumspect, telling reporters it was another feather in Australia's cap, but not one that would rival trade with Asia and the Middle East.

The trade deal will pave the way for more Australians to live and work in Britain and offer exporters more market options.

It will also scrap a requirement for UK citizens to work on Australian farms before extending their visas.

But the Nationals say they have secured an agreement to put a mechanism in place to ensure no loss of seasonal workers.

Several key sticking points needed to be overcome before the initial agreement could be reached.

Agriculture firmed as the major obstacle, with British farmers keen to impose quotas on Australian beef and lamb.

UK dairy farmers were also deeply sceptical about the deal.

Ahead of the formal announcement, the prime minister made a free trade pitch before an audience of business leaders from both countries.

"As the United Kingdom moves into a completely new generation of their trading relationships with the world, who better to start that journey with than Australia?" Mr Morrison said.

He described the UK joining the European common market in the 1970s as a devastating blow to Australian producers.

"The Brexit that has occurred is an opportunity for us to pick up where we left off all those many years ago and to once again realise the scale of the trading relationship we once had."

Australian officials described negotiations as tough and the two trade ministers were in daily contact for more than a week.

"At the end of the day there will always be hesitancy when any country enters into a trade arrangement with any other country - that is quite normal," Mr Morrison said.

Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles said Labor had concerns about agricultural exports and visa conditions for farm workers, which the party would work through in time.

He urged Mr Morrison to crack on with the deal, having spoken about it since 2016.

"Trade agreements are important for our country and trade diversification is important for our country," Mr Marles said.

"The government has been talking about this. What we actually want to see is for them to get this deal done. When they do we'll obviously have a good look at the detail."

© AAP 2021

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Swimming Australia's board will soon meet as Olympic stars try to ignore a widening culture controversy in the sport.

SA's board will convene on Tuesday, a day after the governing body's ethics and integrity committee also met to discuss claims of a sexist culture in swimming.

The furore was triggered by Maddie Groves, who claimed on social media there were "misogynistic perverts in the sport" when announcing her withdrawal from Australia's Olympic selection trials in Adelaide.

SA will form an independent all-female panel to investigate Groves' claims and any wider issues of culture problems in elite swimming.

But Groves is still yet to respond to calls and emails from SA hierarchy.

The governing body has urged any swimmer with concerns to come forward.

Olympic gold-medal prospects Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown are among swimmers at the Adelaide trials shuttering themselves from the contoversy.

"I have heard little whispers but for me personally, I have never experienced any of that," Titmus said.

"And anything a coach says to me about my physique or race weight or whatever is for performance purposes only.

"I I have never experienced fat-shaming as such that is talked about in the media at the moment."

McKeown, who broke the women's 100m backstroke world record on Sunday night, said she was avoiding the controversy.

"I keep in my own little bubble, I don't like the whole outside distractions," she said.

"If people feel that way, that is on them and that's their opinions.

"But I just ... try and ignore any shame comments or anything like that - no negativity."

SA chief executive Alex Baumann has said the independent panel would soon be formed to investigate any claims of abuse.

Asked on Sunday if the nation's elite swim program had systemic problems regarding treatment of female swimmers, he replied: "I don't think we do.

"But this is what we are setting up to really try to find, so we're setting up this panel to exactly take a look at that."

SA had no record of any previous complaint from Groves.

Groves last November posted on Twitter: "I definitely made a complaint a few years ago about a person that works at swimming making me feel uncomfortable the way they stare at me in my togs".

Groves, on Instagram on Wednesday, announced her withdrawal from the trials.

The dual silver medallist from the 2016 Olympics went further on Twitter on Thursday, posting: "Let this be a lesson to all misogynistic perverts in sport and their boot lickers.

"You can no longer exploit young women and girls, body shame or medically gaslight ... Time's UP."

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Swimming Australia's boss says the organisation "could have done better" in handling sexism complaints while admitting deep concern at the tarnishing of the sport.

SA chief executive officer Alex Baumann says the governing body's complaints process could have been better explained to swimmers.

"We could have done better," he told reporters on Tuesday.

But Baumann refused to say if there were any current investigations, citing confidentiality within the complaints process.

"We are not going to comment on any individual cases," he said.

"Ultimately we have a confidential process and we have to maintain the integrity of that."

But most swimmers were unaware there were confidential avenues to lodge complaints, which Baumann said was an oversight.

"What I think has happened is we haven't communicated effectively," Baumann said.

" ... I don't think people know what they have to do - and we admit that.

"That is what we're trying to address right now. Ultimately they don't have to necessarily come to Swimming Australia."

Australia's Olympic selection trials have been overshadowed by claims of sexism and abusive culture in elite swimming.

The furore was triggered by dual Olympic silver medallist Maddie Groves claiming on social media there were "misogynistic perverts in the sport", which prompted further separate allegations of fat-shaming and abuse of elite swimmers.

"Obviously I am quite worried," Baumann said.

"We have had some fantastic performances in the pool but our reputation is getting tarnished.

" ... It's always important for me to ensure that we have a strong reputation that is in line with our performances."

Baumann said Groves had yet to return calls or emails from SA hierarchy.

SA's board met on Tuesday to discuss the crisis, after the governing body's ethics and integrity committee convened on Monday.

SA has pledged to create an independent all-female panel to investigate Groves' claims and wider cultural issues.

SA director Tracy Stockwell said that panel would be formed as soon as possible, with potential members already canvassed.

"We are listening to what the allegations are and have empathy for those athletes and for all of our swimmers," Stockwell told reporters.

"And this is one of the reasons why we are having this independent panel - to look into what is the extent, how can we make it better and acknowledge those athletes."

SA has urged any swimmer with complaints to come forward but most at the Olympic selections trials are shuttering themselves from the controversy, including gold-medal prospects Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown.

"I have heard little whispers but for me personally, I have never experienced any of that," Titmus said.

"And anything a coach says to me about my physique or race weight or whatever is for performance purposes only.

"I I have never experienced fat-shaming as such that is talked about in the media at the moment."

McKeown, who broke the women's 100m backstroke world record on Sunday night, said was keeping "in my own little bubble".

"If people feel that way (abused), that is on them and that's their opinions," she said.

"I just ... try and ignore any shame comments or anything like that - no negativity."

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Australia could take up to four years to start manufacturing cutting-edge coronavirus vaccines like the Pfizer and Moderna jabs.

But Industry Minister Christian Porter is confident the nation can establish an mRNA capability within 12 to 18 months.

Industry officials earlier in the month told Senate estimates building a site from scratch could take between three and four years.

Mr Porter said four years would be an "absolute outside" time frame with information he has received suggesting one year to 18 months was reasonable.

He criticised Labor after being asked to confirm officials' timelines on Tuesday.

"You would race to failure as you have done in the past without proper preparation. But that's not something this government would intend to do," he told parliament.

The government last month gave companies eight weeks to lodge applications to manufacture mRNA vaccines in Australia.

Mr Porter said the proposed time frame would be an important part of determining the successful bid.

Pfizer is being imported as one of two coronavirus vaccines being used in Australia, while Moderna supplies are expected to join the rollout later this year.

The mRNA vaccines teach cells how to make a protein to trigger an immune response.

Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack swatted away questions about building more quarantine centres with a defence of using hotels.

Mr McCormack said submissions from state governments needed to be detailed, with locations close to an international airport and a major hospital.

"The federal government stands ready to take any detailed submissions from state governments to build quarantine facilities," he said in Question Time.

Doctors have raised concerns that extending the coronavirus vaccine rollout to pharmacists may not allay pockets of jab hesitancy in Australia.

The pharmacy network and a further 800 GPs will be given the Moderna vaccine for delivery in the final quarter of the year.

Australian Medical Association vice president Chris Moy said hesitancy had been a significant issue after extremely rare blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca jab.

"Patients really have needed that guiding hand of the general practitioner to be able to talk them through this that I'm not sure pharmacists do," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Health Minister Greg Hunt welcomed "very heartening" late-stage clinical trial results showing the Novavax coronavirus shot is more than 90 per cent effective.

The federal government has ordered 51 million doses from the company which is also planning to manufacture the protein-based jab in Australia.

But in the short term, the federal government is working with Victoria, which in some areas has had to pause bookings and walk-in appointments due to heavy public demand.

Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten said it appeared there were not enough doses, a problem which he blames on the federal government.

"This is more of a stroll out vaccine than a rollout vaccine. I mean, come on, let's just fire up and get it done," he told the Nine Network.

Dr Moy said the situation showed it couldn't be a free-for-all with a balance needed between opening to more age groups and protecting second-dose supply.

© AAP 2021