The G20 Trade Ministers met in Sydney this weekend. We teamed up with the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association to perform some street theatre in Circular Quay which sent a strong message for fair trade in deals like the TPP.
21/07/2014
The Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) enables Korean miners to sue states over environmental regulation. Korean companies own three of the most controversial mining projects in NSW.
As Canada hosts a round of secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks, Stephen Cornish from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has published an article in the Ottawa Citizen titled 'The TPP could be a blow to public health'.
The Wire reports on the Japan-Australia free trade agreement, including an interview with AFTINET convener, Dr Patricia Ranald.
Dr Ranald points out that until the agreement is signed, we aren't able to see the text, and argues that there should be a more democratic and transparent process for trade agreements.
8/07/2014
Dr Patricia Ranald, Convener of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network, (AFTINET) Research Associate at the University of Sydney
As an advocate for fair trade based on human rights, labour rights and environmental sustainability, I read Senator Penny Wong’s policy speech on Australia in the global economy with great interest.
Concerned about their water supply, the community in El Salvador protested a gold mine operated by Canadian company Pacific Rim, and the government responded. Now El Salvador is being sued in an international tribunal for millions of dollars over their refusal to issue a permit.
This excellent 15 minute documentary explains the community's concerns.
Join us on July 19th 2014 at 11am in Circular Quay as G20 Trade Ministers meet in Sydney. They will discuss global trade deals, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
Help let them know that we oppose the corporate takeover of health, education and other essential services.
Brunei's recent introduction of a new criminal law regime which includes limb amputations and stoning as punishment has led to calls for trade talks with the dictatorship to be abandoned.
This article in The Economist article shows how stronger patent rights on medicines, like those being proposed in the TPP, delay cheaper generic medicines, resulting in higher prices for consumers.
By Dr Patricia Ranald , AFTINET Convener
June 24, 2014: Secretive trade talks reveal a worrying push towards financial deregulation on a global scale. The Australian government should oppose this hidden agenda and ensure consumers are well protected, writes Patricia Ranald for The Drum.