Media Release, 11 April, 2022: The announcement of a ballot to be held on May 21 has left the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement hanging in the balance until a new parliamentary committee can be formed after the nation goes to the polls
28 March, 2022: In a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT), AFTINET has identified major flaws and called for major changes to the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (A-UKFTA) before ratification.
28 February: AFTINET has raised the alarm over the possibility that British corporations will gain the right to sue the Australian Government if the UK is granted membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
February 9, 2022: Following the announcement of a free trade deal between Australia and the UK late last year, the text has been tabled in Parliament and a parliamentary inquiry into the agreement has been launched. The inquiry will allow civil society organisations to make submissions concerning the potential impacts of the agreement.
December 17, 2021: After 18 months of secretive negotiations, Trade Ministers from Australia and the UK today signed the Australia-UK FTA and released the text of the agreement. Fair trade advocates are demanding an independent assessment o f costs and benefits before it is ratified, as recommended by the parliamentary committee that reviews trade agreements.
MEDIA RELEASE
June 18, 2021
“We welcome the fact that the Australian and UK governments have responded to community concerns about secrecy and yesterday published the Agreement in-Principle (AIP) for the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement,” Dr Patricia Ranald, AFTINET Convenor, said today.
June 17, 2021: In an oped in The Conversation, AFTINET Convenor Dr Patricia Ranald sets out the big dangers and the continuing undemocratic process in the in-principle agreement for an Australia-UK Free Trade agreement announced overnight on June 15, 2021.
MEDIA RELEASE
June 15, 2021
“The announcement of ‘in-principle’ agreement for an Australia-UK free trade agreement continues the unacceptable government secrecy about the details of the agreement,” Dr Patricia Ranald, AFTINET Convenor said today.
June 2, 2021: AFTINET Convenor Dr Patricia Ranald warns in the Guardian about the dangers of UK proposals to include ISDS in the FTA. UK companies are frequent users of ISDS with 90 recorded cases. Inclusion of ISDS would expose Australia to UK company cases for the first time.
MEDIA RELEASE, May 31, 2021
“The British Trade Minister has confirmed that corporate rights to sue governments are being discussed in the final negotiations for the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement before an announcement at the G7 meeting in the UK on June 11-13. This is unacceptable and will fuel community opposition to the deal in both Australia and the UK,“ Dr Patricia Ranald, Convenor of the Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network said today.