AFTINET held a forum on the TPP attended by 130 people at NSW Parliament
House on April 16.Photos and audio recordings are available here. The forum was
reported in the Sydney
Morning Herald and was one of 755 events held
in four continents to protest against the TPP and the Transatlantic Partnership
(TTI P) being negotiated between the US and the EU.
Many of these events were part of the strong US community
campaign which has pressured most
Democrats and a block of Republicans continue to oppose “fast
track” legislation, which would enable the final text of the TPP to be rushed through
the US Congress without amendment.
The Fast Track Bill was introduced to Congress in April but could not
attract majority support in the House of Representatives, and so has not gone
to a vote at the time of writing. The Democrats are moving various amendments
to the Bill to slow it down. If it is not passed before the proposed TPP Trade
Ministers meeting to be held in Guam on May 26-8, it may lapse because the TPP
is so unpopular that neither Republicans nor Democrats want it to be an issue
in the US Presidential election race which will take off in mid-year. Democrat
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has not endorsed the TPP, saying only
that trade agreements should improve living standards.
Japanese Prime Minister Abe was in Washington in the last week of April,
but, despite predictions, there was no Fast Track vote and no further progress
on market access negotiations between the US and Japan. The Japanese, Canadian
and NZ governments are all saying that negotiations will not be finalised until
after fast track is passed.
A draft of the TPP
investment chapter dated January 2015 appeared on the WikiLeaks
website on March 26. AFTINET’s analysis focused
on the fact that the Australian government has proposed that the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme, the Medicare Benefits Scheme, the Therapeutic Goods
Administration and the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator be specifically
exempted from ISDS claims, but this has not been agreed. This so far unsuccessful attempt to protect these
specific institutions from ISDS shows that the government does not believe its
own assurances, given for ISDS in the Korea and China free trade agreements, that
general carve-outs or exceptions for health, environment and public welfare
regulation will prevent governments from being sued for regulating in these
areas.
Intense coverage of the TPP has continued in
Australia. On March 26 the Sydney
Morning Herald, the Melbourne Age and the Canberra Times reported that proposed new food
labelling rules in response to the contaminated berries scandal could
result in foreign companies using ISDS in the Korea, China or Trans-Pacific
trade agreements to sue the government for damages if their profits are
reduced.
- March 27 saw coverage of our media release on the leaked investment
chapter of the TPP in the Sydney
Morning Herald, the Melbourne Age and Canberra Times, also ABC
national on-line news and SBS national
online news. See
also Kyla Tienhaara’s excellent piece on the
Drum blog
website and ABC Radio National The
World Today
- On March 31,
2015, ABC national TV program Lateline covered opposition to
the TPP in the US Congress., Australian critics
of the TPP and a debate about the TPP between
Alan Oxley, and Greens Senator Peter Whish Wilson.
- On April 6 the Sydney Morning Herald, the Melbourne Age and the Canberra
Times reported that eight health and community
organisations sent an open letter to the Trade Minister Andrew Robb
expressing "grave concerns" about the leaked investment chapter
of the TPP.
- On April 8 Harriet Alexander reported
s in the Sydney Morning Herald, the Melbourne Age and Canberra
Times that the peak lobby group for American pharmaceutical
manufacturers has been given privileged access to negotiations for a major
regional trade pact that could see the cost of medicines skyrocket in
Australia.
- On April 10 Deborah Gleeson,
Kyla Tienhaara and Sharon Friel argued in The Conversation that the leaked investment chapter shows
that concerns about risks to health in the TPP identified by health
experts are justified.
- On April
12 Michaela Whitbourn reported in the Sydney Sunday
Sun Herald that the
TPP may create new criminal sanctions for illicit downloading of films and
TV shows, following a legal battle over Hollywood blockbuster Dallas Buyers Club
- On April 16,
Pat Ranald outlined the dangers of ISDS in the TPP in answer to an
article defending ISDS from an investment
lawyer in The Conversation,
- On April 21 Pat Ranald was interviewed by Luke Martin for an
article in the Griffith Review, and on April 24:
by Leon Byner on Adelaide commercial radio station 5AA.
- On
May 4 Pat Ranald’s article on the Senate Inquiry into the
trade agreement process was published in the Canberra Times,
Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age.
AFTINET video on Philip Morris tobacco company ISDS case against
Australia
On April 20 AFTINET released the two-minute video on the Philip Morris tobacco company ISDS case against the
Australian plain packaging legislation, made by AFTINET and the New South Wales
Nurses and Midwives Association. Please view and share through Facebook and
twitter if you have not already done so.
Senate Inquiry Into the trade agreement process hears evidence
Dr Patricia Ranald gave evidence on behalf of AFTINET to the Senate
Inquiry into the trade agreement process on May 4. Of over 90 submissions, only
two government agencies (the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the
Export Council) supported the current process with no change. Business groups
(AIG and ACCI) were critical of the current process and want independent
assessment of the final text before it is signed, and access to the text during
negotiations for selected industry “advisors” as is done in the US.
PACER-Plus campaign intensifies - Drafts of the services and investment chapters from 2013 have been
leaked and received media coverage. Pacific Island civil society
groups have launched a campaign calling for a halt to of the
negotiations, because Australia and New Zealand are pursuing their commercial
interests at the expense of Pacific Island countries. They have been joined
by unions from New Zealand and Australia.
RCEP consultations begin belatedly
- The Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations between 10 ASEAN
countries plus Australia, NZ, China, Japan, India, South Korea began in 2013
and have now intensified.
Pat Ranald and Dr Deborah Gleeson met with RCEP negotiators on
intellectual property and investment to raise our grave concerns about a leaked Japanese document which proposed
extensions of monopoly rights on patents, and about proposals for ISDS. It was
reported that the Australian government was not supporting the patent
proposals, and had not taken a position on ISDS. We know from other sources
that there is strong opposition to both the patent and ISDS proposals from
India and other countries. Negotiators proposed that there would be more
regular consultation on these and other issues as negotiations proceed.
AFTINET : follow us on facebook and twitter!
128 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills, NSW, Australia 2010
Office: +61 2 9699 3686 | email: campaign@aftinet.org.au
Website www.aftinet.org.au |Twitter: @AFTINET |
AFTINET on Facebook
Dr Patricia Ranald
Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET)
128 Chalmers Street, Surry
Hills, NSW, Australia 2010
