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A historic free trade agreement between Australia and Britain will come into force at the end of the month after an extended process pushed back by leadership instability in London.

Under the deal, there will be no tariffs on almost all Australian goods exported to the UK and more Australians will be eligible for lengthier working holidays in the country.

The agreement following Brexit will strip taxes on billions of dollars worth of goods, including beef, sheep meat, dairy and sugar.

It will come into effect on May 31.

After two years, there would be no tariffs on 99 per cent of Australian exports to the UK, which are worth some $9.2 billion.

The same would apply to UK products arriving in Australia.

After the same phase-in, Australians will be able to apply for working holidays in the UK to the age of 35 - up from 30 - and stay a maximum of three years instead of two.

The deal will also allow Indigenous Australians to receive royalties when their artwork is resold in the UK.

The UK high commissioner in Australia said the benefits will flow through as soon as June.

"So there should be an immediate impact on a number of goods coming into each other's country," Vicki Treadell told AAP.

Ms Treadell said other aspects of the agreement such as the mobility visa changes could take a little longer given they require legislative change.

She added the next step would be to boost two-way investment.

"Our consumer base is huge and the potential for yet more excellent Australian produce, products going into the UK, there will be a huge appetite."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the agreement was about greater market access for Australian businesses.

He said slashing tariffs would also lead to cheaper products, which would put downward pressure on inflation.

"So the imports we get from the UK, if you cut the taxes and cut the tariffs, then they are by definition cheaper and that will have a positive impact on our economy," he said during a visit to an Australian-themed restaurant in London's Paddington.

Farmers have welcomed the news as the "win we have been waiting for".

"The promise of quota tariffs being eliminated now and in the near future is like fertiliser for our economy and a relief for farm businesses struggling with rising input costs," National Farmers' Federation chief Tony Mahar told AAP.

Winegrowers are also raising a glass, with the UK regarded as Australia's second-largest export market.

"For wine, the agreement will see the elimination of import tariffs on entry come into force," said Lee McLean from Australian Grape and Wine.

"The tariff elimination represents a saving of approximately $50 million per year for the Australian wine sector," he told AAP.

Canegrowers also say the agreement will be worth millions to their industry.

"This is a valuable opportunity for Australian sugar," said Canegrowers chief executive Dan Galligan.

"It gives us access to a market we haven't been in since the mid 70s."

© AAP 2023

Bipartisan backing for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has buoyed supporters' hopes the Australian's prison stint will end, as the prime minister declares "enough is enough".

In his strongest comments on the case since his election win, Anthony Albanese said there was no benefit to the 51-year-old's ongoing detention in the UK.

His position was backed by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who said he was concerned for the Australian's fate and the case had gone on for too long.

Greg Barnes, a barrister and advisor to the Australian Assange campaign, said the leaders' comments were significant and represented a united front.

He urged both political leaders to raise the issue of Assange's imprisonment with US President Joe Biden during his visit to Australia later this month.

"(Their comments) send a strong signal to Washington that Australian politicians are united on this issue.

"They are the strongest we've seen from the prime minister expressing frustration ... and the Dutton comments are the strongest comments a coalition leader has made in relation to the case since the very early days."

Mr Albanese, who is in the UK for the King's coronation, would not say whether he planned to raise the issue with Mr Biden.

Assange has been in prison in the UK for more than four years and is fighting extradition to the US to face espionage charges.

"My position is that enough is enough. And I continue to say in private what I have said publicly ... that enough is enough," Mr Albanese said on Thursday, UK time.

"I can't do more than make very clear what my position is and the US administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian government's position is."

Mr Albanese said Assange's case needed to be looked at in the context of the time the WikiLeaks founder had already spent in custody, comparing his treatment to that of Chelsea Manning.

The former US Army soldier was released in 2017 after disclosing hundreds of thousands of sensitive documents to WikiLeaks.

"When Australians look at the circumstances, look at the fact that a person who released the information is walking freely now having served some time in incarceration ... then they will see a disconnect there," Mr Albanese said.

"There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration and I am concerned about Mr Assange's mental health."

Mr Dutton said he agreed with the prime minister that the case needed to be dealt with and had been drawn out for too long.

"Of course I'm concerned for him at an individual level. I think it's gone on for too long and I think that's the fault of many people - including Mr Assange, to be honest," he said.

"The matters have to be dealt with. If the prime minister's charting a course through to an outcome, then that is a good thing."

Mr Barnes said he hoped the prime minister would also discuss Assange's case with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a bilateral meeting in London on Friday.

"The UK is the nation which has to approve any extradition request and certainly (the prime minister) ought to be urging Rishi Sunak and his government to withdraw the approval for that request," he said.

"The case has gone on far too long and no public interest is served."

Assange has appealed to the UK High Court and the European Court of Human Rights to block his extradition.

In 2021, a British judge ruled the Australian should not be extradited to the US due to concerns for his mental health, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

© AAP 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared "enough is enough" for detained WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, adding there is no benefit to his ongoing imprisonment.

But the Labor leader, who is in the UK for the King's coronation, refused to reveal if he would be raising the imprisoned Australian's case during an upcoming visit from US President Joe Biden.

Assange has been in prison in the UK for more than four years and is fighting extradition to the US to face espionage charges.

"My position is that enough is enough. And I continue to say in private what I have said publicly ... that enough is enough," Mr Albanese told ABC TV on Thursday, UK time.

Asked if he would discuss Assange's case with Mr Biden, who is due to visit Australia for the Quad meeting this month, the prime minister said he wouldn't publicly foreshadow any discussions he planned to have with the US president.

"I can't do more than make very clear what my position is and the US administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian government's position is," he said.

Mr Albanese said Assange's case needed to be looked at in the context of the time the WikiLeaks founder had already spent in custody, comparing his treatment to that of Chelsea Manning.

The former US Army soldier was released in 2017 after disclosing hundreds of thousands of sensitive documents to WikiLeaks.

"When Australians look at the circumstances, look at the fact that a person who released the information is walking freely now having served some time in incarceration ... then they will see a disconnect there," Mr Albanese said.

"There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration and I am concerned about Mr Assange's mental health."

Last month, Australian parliamentarians of all political persuasions - including several Labor backbenchers - signed a letter to US Attorney-General Merrick Garland urging him to end the pursuit of Assange.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said he agreed with the prime minister that the case needed to be dealt with and had been drawn out for too long.

"Of course I'm concerned for him at an individual level. I think it's gone on for too long and I think that's the fault of many people - including Mr Assange, to be honest," he told ABC Radio.

Assange has appealed to the UK High Court and the European Court of Human Rights to block his extradition.

In 2021 a British judge ruled Assange should not be extradited to the US due to concerns for his mental health, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

© AAP 2023