PACER-Plus trade deal without PNG and Fiji a bad deal
AFTINET Convener Dr Patricia Ranald said today that Australia should not
proceed with the PACER-Plus trade deal between Australia, New Zealand and only
12 of the original 14 Pacific Island countries. The deal was finalised in
Brisbane today, and may be formally signed in June.
Dr Ranald said the two largest economies, Papua New Guinea
and Fiji, have both refused to endorse the final text, saying it did not
recognise their need to develop their infant industries. Without them,
PACER-Plus has failed as a regional agreement.
“PNG and Fiji’s rejection shows that the agreement is
heavily skewed towards the interests of Australia and New Zealand - despite
early rhetoric that the agreement was about development needs,” said Dr Ranald.
The negotiations have been conducted in secret but leaked
documents revealed many issues of concern to Pacific Island civil society
groups. These are detailed in a recent report by the Pacific Network on
Globalisation: Defending Pacific ways of life: A People’s Social Impact
Assessment of PACER-Plus”.
Dr Ranald said that the smaller economies in the Pacific
have less negotiating power than Fiji and PNG, and that the Australian and New
Zealand governments should not be pressuring vulnerable economies into a deal
which does not benefit them.
Pacific Island countries already have tariff-free access for
their goods in Australia, so they get no extra market access. The main purpose
of PACER-Plus is to reduce tariffs on Pacific Island imports from Australia and
New Zealand and to reduce the ability of governments to regulate foreign
investment in services and other sectors.
“Tariff reductions would lead to significant revenue losses
for smaller Pacific Island countries, which could impact on the ability of
these governments to provide essential services to their populations,” said Dr
Ranald.
(Media release by AFTINET)
Addition back ground links can be located at -
Barry Coates : PACER Plus – how the Pacific Way is being undermined
http://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/04/21/barry-coates-pacer-plus-how-the-pacific-way-is-being-undermined/
Barry Coates : PACER Plus – how the Pacific Way is being undermined
http://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/04/21/barry-coates-pacer-plus-how-the-pacific-way-is-being-undermined/
