TPPA Campaign: Fair Deal or No Deal
AFTINET Community Education Leaflets:
Copy of Community Education Leaflet - "Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Don't Trade Away Health". (UPDATED - FEB 2012)
Copy of Community Education Leaflet - "Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement: Workers' Right, not Corporate Rights" .
Copy of Community Education Leaflet - “Resurrecting the US Free Trade Agreement: what US business wants from the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement and what we can do about it”.
TPPA resources, including important websites and information are available on our TPPA resources page by following this link.
Latest TPPA News:
March 2012 - Report on the Melbourne Round of Negotiations 1st-9th March 2011
The 11th Round of Negotiations of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement was held in Melbourne from 1st March to 9th March 2012.
Overall, the strong voices from civil society at the negotiations helped to consolidate the policy of the Australian government against investor state dispute processes, and the presentations criticising the US policy on intellectual property and medicines made an impression on Australian and other negotiators. We continue to ask for negotiating texts to be released, and for the text of the whole agreement to be released before it is signed by governments.
However, the US negotiators are also clearly pressing other negotiators to complete the negotiations as soon as possible, and in secrecy, before the US presidential elections to be held in November. There have been several secret “intersessional” negotiations at which there is no stakeholder consultation. The next round of full negotiations is likely to be held in May, in Dallas, USA, followed by negotiations in New Zealand in July, but secret intersessional negotiations will be held between these two dates. We need to maintain and intensify our campaign for a fair deal or no deal at all on the TPPA.
For more information follow this link to our TPPA campaign page.
Copies of Audio files for the civil society events are progressively being placed on the web. Links to those available can be found on our TPPA resources page.
AFTINET TPPA Petition to House of Representatives - Presented on 1 March 2012:
The AFTINET Petition on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement was presented to parliament, in the House of Representatives, by Stephen Jones, Member for Throsby. The petition contained nearly 3,300 signatures and is a great effort by all those who collected signatures.
With great timing the petition was presented to the House of Representatives on the first day of negotiating round that took place in Melbourne from 1st to 9th March 2012.
For more information follow this link to ourTPPA Campaign Page .
Ac opy of the transript can be found from: http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2Fbda27a36-a8b5-4e6a-a64f-6084b2c53511%2F0098%22
Questions in Parliament:
Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, asked some interesting questions recently on the TPPA. The following links directly to both a text and audio version of the exchange in the Senate.
Is the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiation dead in the water? – 13/03/12
http://greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/trans-pacific-partnership-negotiation-dead-water
audio format: http://greensmps.org.au/content/audio/question-investor-state-dispute-settlement-trans-pacific-partnership
December 2011 - Campaign victory: Fair Trade amendments to the ALP Platform
Our campaign for fair trade had an impact at the ALP National Conference, held at Darling Harbour from 2nd-3rd December 2011.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, a member of AFTINET, moved amendments to the trade section of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) platform, which is the public statement of the party's policy.
For more information follow this link: http://aftinet.org.au/cms/tppa-campaign-victory-alp-national-conference
November 2011 - Pacific Trade Pact misses APEC deadline as community groups slam US proposals on medicines and corporate rights
“The APEC meeting in Hawaii was meant to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, a new free trade deal between the US, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. But the deal has been delayed because of controversial proposals tabled by the US, and negotiations will continue into 2012,” Dr Patricia Ranald, Convener of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network of 60 community groups (AFTINET), said today.
For more information follow this link to our TPPA campaign page.
For a full copy of the media release follow this link.
October 2011 - Letter to Trade Minister calling for democratic scrutiny of the TPPA.
The ninth round of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) between the US, Australia, and seven other countries starts in Lima, Peru, on October 19. Over 25 Australian community groups, including the ACTU and 7 national unions, the Catholic Social Justice Council and Uniting World, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Public Health Association and pensioner groups are calling on governments to release draft text of the proposed agreement, and to release a document which reportedly restricts access to negotiating documents for four years after the conclusion of the negotiations.
For a copy of the Letter and media release follow this link.
TPPA Resources:
TPPA resources, including important websites and information are available on our
TPPA resources page by following this link.
What you can do in the TPPA Campaign:
Check back regularly and follow the links below to take action and to find out more about the campaign.
You can place a link to the AFTINET website on your Facebook, personal internet or other social media page and urge people to follow the link and sign the petition. Copy this link and place it on your page: www.aftinet.org.au.
You can place a link to the AFTINET Face Book page on your Facebook, personal internet or other social media page and urge people to follow the link and sign the petition. Copy this link and place it on your page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aftinet/219004528130731?sk=wall
You can send an email directly to Trade Minister Dr Craig Emerson by following this link.
You can download and send a letter to Trade Minister Dr Craig Emerson by following this link.
You can organise a visit to your local Member of Parliament to let them know your concerns about the TPPA, use the Community Education Leaflet as a talking point.
Phillip Morris fights Plain Packaging Proposals.
AFTINET has called upon the Australian government to stand firm on tobacco plain packaging legislation, and withdraw from restrictive treaties.
Follow this link for more information, media reports and media release.
PACER-Plus
Brisbane negotiating Round – 26th to 28th March 2012.
On 26th March 2012 the Australian Government will be hosting the second Non-State Actors (NSA) meeting on PACER-Plus. This meeting is meant to be the premier consultative forum for NGO’s and Business’s interested in PACER-Plus.
The NSA occurs in conjunction with the Forum Island Trade Ministers Meeting, which is scheduled to take place on 27th and 28th March 2012 in Brisbane.
30 March 2012: Media coverage
Two short articles on March 30th 2012 on Radio New Zealand as a result of AFTINET joint media release with PANG issued on 28th March 2012.
NGO says benefits in alternative approaches to Pacific trade negotiations: http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=67173
Call for more funding so NGOs can take part in Pacific trade talks: http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=67169
28th March 2012 - Non-State Actor Dialogue Fails 'meaningful' test at PACER-Plus talks
The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) and AFTINET have issued a joint media release on the Non-State Actors dialogue which took place in Brisbane on Monday 26th March.
The Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET) said that it's time for Australia to provide the money necessary for the Pacific to hear from NGOs.
“Whilst we appreciate and welcome Australia’s provision of some funding for the NSA dialogue, this consultation is an example of a job half-done. Australia has always acknowledged the constraints in the region including limited funding for consultations and the involvement of NSAs. However the funding provided by Australia and New Zealand is inadequate. So we've now had a consultation that is not representative of the wide spectrum of views in the Pacific, and failed to include any critical voices,” explained Harvey Purse, Trade Justice Campaigner of AFTINET.
“It can hardly be seen as improving the lives of Pacific peoples when the non government sector, with their diverse expertise and views, have less representation at these key consultations than multi-national corporate interests such as big tobacco (BAT), alcohol (Heineken) and finance (ANZ),” said Mr Purse.
Negotiations on the regional trade agreement known as PACER-Plus are underway in Brisbane this week.
For a copy of the media release follow this link .
23 March 2012 - Media Release: NGOs critical of 'consultation about consultation' on regional trade agreement
The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), AFTINET and AID/WATCH have issued a joint media release critical of the key consultation on PACER-Plus which occurs once per year.
For a copy of the media release follow this link.
For more detail and reports follow this link to our PACER-Plus Campaign page.
Greens Senator Asks Questions on PACER-Plus
Senator Lee Rhiannon asked some interesting questions of officials during Senate estimates on 16 February 2012 to try to clarify Australia’s position relative to negotiations underway between the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and the European Union.
For more information and a copy of the transcript follow this link to our PACER-Plus Campaign page.
