Media Releases

TPP death result of six years of community campaigns

Media Release November 13, 2016: The Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network welcomes reports that the Obama administration has abandoned attempts to push the TPP through the current lame duck Congress. Fair trade groups have campaigned since 2010 against the TPP corporate agenda, in Australia, the US and other TPP countries. The TPP gave more rights to global corporations but made it harder for governments to regulate them in the public interest.

Australia should reject US push for even longer TPP medicine monopolies

MEDIA RELEASE, November 7 2016:  “The Australian government should reject the push from US Republican Congress members to increase biologic medicine monopolies by seven years, even more than the extra three years which has already been agreed in the TPP text,” Dr Patricia Ranald, Convener of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network said today.

Public health groups condemn stronger medicine monopolies as RCEP talks continue

MEDIA RELEASE, 18 October 2016: Ninety-four public health and other community groups from 12 countries have condemned proposals for the inclusion of stronger medicine monopolies in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as secret negotiations continue this week in China.

The open letter to RCEP governments is available here.

TPP not in the public interest, community groups tell Canberra cross-party forum

Media Release, October 11, 2016: Fair trade groups, public health groups and unions will argue that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is not in the public interest, and that its implementing legislation should be blocked by the Senate, at a forum hosted by ALP MP Josh Wilson, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Senator Nick Xenophon. 

Stop the TPP rally today in Sydney

Media Release, September 26 2016: A broad alliance of community groups, unions, environment and church organisations will rally today outside the public hearing of the national parliamentary inquiry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal in Sydney. 

Read on for comments from AFTINET, the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, UnionsNSW, the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council and GetUp.

TPP: US pressures Australia for even stronger monopolies on biologic drugs

Media Release, September 9 2016:  “We are alarmed by reports that US Senate Finance Committee Orrin Hatch says the US administration has “made progress” in talks with Australia and other TPP countries to find a way to increase data protection for costly lifesaving biologic drugs from eight years in the current TPP text to twelve years,” said Dr Patricia Ranald, Convener of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network.

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