Reply to the Trade Ministers’ claims that “safeguards” in trade agreements prevent investors from suing governments over health and environmental legislation
by Dr Patricia Ranald
The Abbott Government policy is to negotiate the inclusion of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in trade agreements. ISDS enables foreign investors to sue national, state or local governments for hundreds of millions of dollars of damages if they can allege a domestic law or policy “harms” their investment. The disputes are heard in international tribunals without the legal protections of national legal systems: the hearings are secret, arbitrators can be practising advocates and there are no precedents or appeals.
Read the full response here http://aftinet.org.au/cms/Reply-to-trade-ministers-claims-of-safeguards-in-tpp-health-environment-02-2014
The Abbott Government policy is to negotiate the inclusion of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in trade agreements. ISDS enables foreign investors to sue national, state or local governments for hundreds of millions of dollars of damages if they can allege a domestic law or policy “harms” their investment. The disputes are heard in international tribunals without the legal protections of national legal systems: the hearings are secret, arbitrators can be practising advocates and there are no precedents or appeals.
Read the full response here http://aftinet.org.au/cms/Reply-to-trade-ministers-claims-of-safeguards-in-tpp-health-environment-02-2014
