The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Trade Minister Robb has attacked US Senator Elizabeth Warren for her criticism of TPP secrecy and the investor-state dispute clauses which would enable foreign corporations to sue governments over domestic laws.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman writing in the New York Times gives the thumbs down to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and wonders why the Obama administration is supporting it.
March 10, 2015: The secrecy surrounding the Trans-Pacific Partnership has community groups and businesses concerned says Peter Martin writing in The Melbourne Age, Sydney Morning Herald and Canberra Times and SBS found business and community groups want to see the text before it is signed
Thousands have marched in more than 20 towns and cities around New Zealand to protest against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). See video here
The Senate Inquiry into Australia's trade agreement process is ongoing.The current process is secret, and Cabinet makes the decision to sign trade agreements before the text is published. AFTINET's submission (attached below) supports more open negotiations and public release of the final text of trade agreements for independent scrutiny, public and parliamentary debate before the decision to sign them by Parliament. If you want to make a short submission, some helpful points are here
March 3, 2015: A report released today by a large team of academics and non-government health organisations reveals that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) poses risks to the health of Australians in areas such as provision of affordable medicines, tobacco and alcohol policies and nutrition labelling. See Peter Martin's front page article in the Age, SMH and Canberra Times
February 28, 2015:Gabrielle Chan reports in The Guardian that the TPP could allow a foreign company to sue the government for damages if sales dropped after country of origin labelling was introduced, says the Public Health Association. See full article here
February 14, 2015 Leading Australian and NZ medical experts have joined others from TPP countries in the International Medical Journal The Lancet to warn that the TPP threatens health and to call for public release and wide discussion of the text of the secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Februrary 9, 2015 Key health bodies have called for greater transparency in negotiation of the TPP to ensure Australians' access to medicines and public health initiatives are not adversely affected by the finer details of such a deal.
Australian Medical Association vice president Dr Stephen Parnis said assurances made by the federal government last year that it would not enter into an agreement that would have negative effects on Australia's health system were not enough."There must be a greater degree of transparency; we can't simply accept assurances from the government that health won't be compromised. The specifics really matter here",