June 30, 2017: The Joint Select Committee on Government Procurement has recommended that the Commonwealth Procurement Rules should be clarified and strengthened to encourage Australian suppliers.
June 26, 2017: The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a zombie, lurching around, which should not and cannot be resurrected, says public health expert, Prof Ronald Labonte, in The Conversation.
June 23, 2017: On May 16, 2017, President Correa of Ecuador terminated 16 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). This action followed the recommendation of the Ecuadorian Commission that audited the country's Investment Protection Treaties, and found they were not in the national interest.
June 23, 2017: The New York Times has published a leaked draft of a new Trump Executive Order which demonstrates that Big Pharma has captured the White House.
The document directs the United States Trade Representative to conduct a study of price differences between the United States and other countries, and to review trade agreements that may need to be revised “to promote greater intellectual property protection and competition in the global market.”
June 20, 2017: The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a mega-regional trade deal, which if adopted, will cover half of the world’s population, including 420 million small family farms which produce 80% of the region’s food.A new infographic from GRAIN shows what this agreement will mean for food and farmers in the region, based on current leaked drafts.
On 16 May 2017, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued the long-awaited landmark Opinion 2/15 on the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA). According to the CJEU, the agreement falls under the EU’s powers, but not entirely. EU Member States’ national and regional parliaments and the European Parliament must ratify some important provisions regarding investors, particularly ISDS.
The Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET) is a network of community groups and individuals that campaigns for fair trade based on human rights, labour rights and environmental sustainability. This is an exciting opportunity if you have web-based communication and graphic design skills and are passionate about human rights, the environment and trade justice. The position is part-time for 21 hours or three days per week, on a fixed-term contract, with the potential of further contracts dependent on funding. Read more here.
June 14, 2017 Media Release: Over 30 groups and 449 individuals from the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand have called for a halt to the signing of the regional trade deal, known as PACER-Plus, until there has been proper time to assess its impacts and time to properly consult Pacific peoples. The petition is attached.
June 13, 2017, Media Release: “Vanuatu’s decision to join Fiji and Papua New Guinea to boycott the signing tomorrow of the PACER-Plus trade deal between Australia, New Zealand and now only 11 Pacific island countries shows there are serious weaknesses in the agreement because the three largest Pacific island economies are saying there are no benefits for them,” Dr Patricia Ranald, Convener of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network, said today.
9 June 2017: Vanuatu has pulled out of signing PACER-plus on June 14 in Tonga, wanting more time to assess its impacts before making a final decision.