Trade Ministers from the 12 TPP countries will meet in Singapore on December 7-9 to make decisions about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). But the US is still exerting strong pressure for stronger patent laws which would result in higher medicine prices, and for investor-state dispute settlement clauses, which allow foreign corporations to sue governments over health and environment laws which are seen to 'harm' their interest. This would affect our ability to regulate in the public interest, and undermine our democracy and sovereignty.

We need to act now to ensure that these proposals are rejected.

Please send this new, updated letter to Trade Minister Andrew Robb asking him to reject proposals in the TPP which would increase medicine prices, and allow foreign investors to sue our governments.

Send the letter to Trade Minister Andrew Robb

The People's Health Movement Australia's Petition to Trade Minister Andrew Robb:
Support the 5-country proposal on patents and medicines in TPPA negotiations to safeguard access to medicines

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

21/11/2013

The Public Health Association is calling on the Australian Government to support efforts to protect access to medicines and public health measures in negotiations on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

19/11/2013

The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Australia’s right to know

by Dr Patricia Ranald, Convener of AFTINET, for The Conversation

In the history of trade agreement negotiations, most have been undertaken in secret, justified on the grounds that the governments’ negotiating positions would be weakened if they became public.

19/11/2013

Since WikiLeaks released the draft text of the TPP's intellectual property chapter last week, there have been a number of analysis articles published, including the following:

The New Matilda asked a range of experts including academics, an activist and a public health specialist for their take on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and its implications: TPP 'A Substantial Threat To Australian Sovereignty'.

ANU lecturer Ruth Townsend published a piece on The Conversation about Australian sovereignty and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses.
When trade agreements threaten sovereignty: Australia beware

The Conversation also published an analysis of the leaked IP chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and what this would mean for the public's intellectual property rights: Regional trade pact puts Australia in ‘absurd’ position, say experts

A Brisbane radio station broadcast an interview with Melanie Walker , the Acting CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia, who spoke on medicines, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, tobacco plain packaging, food labeling and alcohol health warnings.

Event details:

12-2pm, Friday, 29th November 2013

Martin Place (Corner Castlereagh St)

Bring banners, flags, signs and friends!

Please help us promote the rally by sharing this poster and inviting people to the event.

WikiLeaks has leaked a draft of the highly controversial intellectual property chapter of the TPP.

Three articles were published in the Sydney Morning Herald today.

Australians may pay the price in Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement by Philip Dorling

Australia backs the US at every turn against its own consumers by Peter Martin

Medicine prices could rise under Trans-Pacific Partnership deal by Julia Medew

See AFTINET's Media Release

14/11/2013

The Financial Review reports the Greens and consumer groups renewed push for greater transparency in the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), calling for the agreement text to be published before further talks in December.

Sign Choice's petition here.

Nobel prize winning economist, Joseph E. Stiglitz comes out strongly against investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in trade and investment deals including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

South Africa is now joining Ecuador and Venezuela in terminating some investment agreements. In his piece, 'South Africa Breaks Out', Stiglitz explains why other countries should follow suit.

This Guardian article recorded that journalists were banned from a TPP briefing in Sydney. Some were eventually admitted, but only on the basis that the briefing was “off the record”.

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