May 13, 2019: Imagine there’s a new government elected on May 18, say a Labor government that relies on Green and Centre Alliance support in the Senate.  AFTINET convenor Dr Patricia Ranald explains how bad rules in trade agreements could threaten the implementation of progressive policies on TAFE and climate change.

May 9, 2019: UNSW legal researcher Dr Jonathan Bonnitcha has confirmed AFTINET’s concerns that the Adani mining company could use the Investor-State Dispute (ISDS) process in the India-Australia Bilateral Investment Treaty to claim compensation of billions of dollars from the Australian government if its mining licence is cancelled for environmental reasons.

8 May, 2019: A new report by the Institute for Policy Studies, MiningWatch Canada, and the Center for International Environmental Law examines all 38 known Investor-State Disputes that have been brought by mining companies against governments in Latin America. The companies are using special rights in trade and investment agreements to sue governments in international tribunals for billions of dollars in compensation for court decisions, laws and public policies that they claim reduce the value of their investments. Many of these laws and policies protect indigenous land rights, health or the environment.

May 7, 2019: AFTINET's analysis of political parties’ international trade policies has been published on the Peals and Irritations blog. 

May 2, 2019: AFTINET has joined with organisations from Guatemala and 226 other national and international organisations to sign a letter delivered to Guatemalan and US authorities denouncing an ISDS claim for $300 million dollars by the US mining company Kappes, Cassiday and Associates (KCA).

May 1, 2019: Read AFTINET's new explainer on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership - a dangerous trade agreement that the Australian government is negotiating with 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. 

April 29, 2019: An academic study by Jonathon Bonnitcha and Zoe Williams has systematically analysed Investor-state dispute Settlement (ISDS) cases in which foreign Investors have successfully argued that they should be compensated for new laws or policies resulting from changes of government or other democratic pressures.

April 24, 2019: The Guardian has reported that US energy company APR has failed in its attempt to use the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) to sue the Australian government for compensation because of an adverse court decision. 

April 18, 2019: Following a Bloomberg report that the Chilean parliament had delayed the vote on ratification of the TPP-11 agreement, Luciana Ghiotto reports that there is no parliamentary consensus in favour of the deal. 

April 17, 2019: The Federal election has been called for May 18. Read AFTINET's Candidate meeting toolkit to see how you can take action in support of trade justice this election!