The Guardian published an overview of the agreement titled ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership: a guide to the most contentious issues’. They list each of the following issues by sub-heading: Intellectual property, Investment, E-commerce, Medicines and health, Environment, Financial regulation, Labour rights, Tobacco control and Agriculture.
10/12/2013
Following more leaked TPP documents, Peter Martin publishes the article ‘Leaked memo shows steep concessions for Pacific trade deal’ in the Sydney Morning Herald. The leaked documents, published by The Huffington Post and WikiLeaks, are a memo and spreadsheet prepared by negotiators from one of the 12 nations attempting to reach agreement.
Trade Minister Robb has admitted that he is ready to allow foreign investors the right to sue governments as part of the TPP.
The government claims that health and environment legislation have been carved out from the ISDS clauses in the agreement. But this has proved impossible in other agreements, where investors have pursued cases even when there have been so-called exemptions for health and environment laws.
The Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement includes investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions, which will allow foreign corporations to sue our government over laws or policies which are seen to 'harm' their investment.
Peter Martin writes about the secrecy surrounding the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks, reporting that “the government has refused the Senate access to the secret text of the trade deal it is negotiating in Singapore, saying it will only be made public after it has been signed.”
9/12/2013
Deborah Gleeson published an article on The Conversation titled ‘What you need to know about the Trans Pacific Partnership’ as ministers meet in Singapore.
Also in the Conversation, Brigitte Tenni published: ‘US concessions don’t give Trans Pacific partners access to drugs’
6/12/2013
The ABC reports that Australia and South Korea finalise arrangements for free trade agreement – but rice growers are ‘extremely disappointed’. Read the article
05/12/2013
'Senate to force TPP publication', Delimiter reports. “The news comes as consumer advocacy group CHOICE today ran an advertisement in The Australian newspaper informing Australians about the secretive trade deal,” the article reads, and includes quotes from Choice’s CEO. Read the article
5/12/2013
4/12/2013
Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment, Penny Wong, today published an article in the Financial Review titled 'TPP must not trade away Australia’s national interest'.
3/12/2013
Global climate campaigning organisation 350.org has released a global petition to the governments involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, calling on them to publish the text of the TPP as it stands now, to reject proposals that would undermine regulatory power, and to oppose this "corporate power-grab".
Sign the petition: 'Say no to corporate power grabs - reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership'