India-Australia FTA
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Submission Called – due 16th September 2011:
DFAT has extended the deadline for submissions on the proposed India-Australia FTA with a new closing date of Friday 16th September 2011. We encourage members to make submissions.A copy of the AFTINET submission is available by following this link.
Background:
In 2008 Australia and India agreed to undertake a feasibility study into a Free Trade Agreement. The study was released on 4th May 2010 and recommended that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations should begin.The feasibility study was based on assumptions and modelling which have since been discredited by the Australian Productivity Commission Report into Bilateral and Regional Free Trade Agreements. As with previous studies this one is based on the unrealistic assumptions of the immediate removal of all tariffs across all industries as well as the immediate re-employment of those who lose their jobs due to an FTA.
Follow this link to AFTINET’s submission to the feasibility study.
For more details on the scoping study follow this link.
Announcement of Negotiations:
Dr Emerson, Australia’s Trade Minister, met with his Indian counterpart on 12th May 2011 resulting in the announcement that Australia would commence negotiations.No statement has been made in Parliament to outline the government’s aims, objectives and intentions. Normally such a statement is made to Parliament by the Trade Minister prior to negotiations being commenced.
The agreement will not be called a free trade agreement but will be known as the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (India-Australia CECA).
Issues and Concerns:
AFTINET has identified several areas of concern including:
- Transparency and Democracy
- Potential for Negative Impacts on Development and Poverty
- Investment
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Human Rights
- Labour Rights
- Environmental Standards
- Public Services
- Potential restrictions on the rights of government to regulate and legislate in the public interest Affordable Medicines
- Movement of Natural Persons open to exploitation.
The Australian Government should implement the positive aspects of its trade policy and ensure that there is no investor-state dispute process, no acceptance of any extension of intellectual property rights and retaining the right of government to legislate and regulate in the public interest. We also need to continue to shine the light on any negative components Australia is still prepared to use in negotiations.
For more information follow this link to AFTINET's Submission to DFAT on the proposed agreement.
Follow this link to AFTINET’s submission to the feasibility study in 2008.
Follow this link to our India-Australia FTA Resources Page.
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