AFTINET

Send a message to the Minister for Trade re: TPPA

Posted by clare on Monday, 16 September 2013

With the change in government in Australia there has been a change in trade policy. The new government will be open to allowing foreign companies to sue governments for damages if their policies or laws are seen to harm their investment

These clauses, called 'investor state dispute settlement,' or ISDS, would reduce the ability of governments to regulate the activities of foreign companies even when they have a negative impact on health and the environment.

To express your concern, send a letter to the Trade Minister, asking him to reject ISDS and any proposal which would affect public health, access to information, our cultural industries and food labelling regulations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Workers speak out about TPPA

The global union movement has produced a short video of workers in all of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) countries discussing the impact of the free trade agreement.

Workers from around the world speak out about downward pressure on wages and labour rights, more polluted air and water, reduced access to life saving medicines, and more powerful corporations influencing our laws and trying to override our voices.

They have also created a petition targeting all the countries participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Sign the petition here.

TPP risks making medicines more expensive

Posted by clare on Sunday, 1 September 2013

Malaysia Proposes Tobacco Carve-Out from the TPPA

U.S. public health and medical groups applauded Malaysia's historic proposal to "carve out" tobacco from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPPA), a trade pact now being negotiated by the U.S. and 11 other nations.

Malaysia won't sign Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) this year

Rising opposition and criticism towards the TPPA in Malaysia has caused delays in any final decision to allow time for studies to be done and the results be made public, according to an article in the Malaysian Insider.

Civil society slams lack of transparency at Brunei TPPA round

Civil Society stakeholders who attended the Brunei round of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations are very disappointed that no formal report from the Chief Negotiators was presented, nor the opportunity for stakeholders to ask questions in a forum where all could hear the answers.

Read their media release here.

28/08/2013

New York mayor asks why Obama is caving on tobacco in the TPPA

The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, asks why Obama is caving on tobacco in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) in an opinion piece published by the New York Times.

AFTINET's Convener speaks to ABC radio from Brunei

AFTINET's convener Dr Patricia Ranald spoke to ABC radio this morning from Brunei, where she is observing the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) currently under negotiation.

Dr Ranald reports on the progress of the negotiation and talks about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and how it could affect our health and environmental regulation, using the examples of tobacco and coal seam gas mining.

Tobacco clause might burn free trade agreement

As negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) continue in Brunei, the Sydney Morning Herald's Peter Martin reports on the unresolved issues, including a tobacco clause which would allow tobacco companies the right to sue governments when nations put in place regulation in the interests of public health.

Malaysian Cabinet drops TPPA Timeline

The Malaysian Reserve reports that the Malaysian Cabinet has dropped any timeline for finishing the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement following a campaign by a coalition of NGOS and the stance of the Malaysian Opposition, who express concerns that the TPP is mainly in the economic, business and geopolitical interests of the United States.

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