21 April 2016
AFTINET held a successful lunchtime forum about the TPP and the Australian and US elections in Sydney on April 20, attended by 70 people.
Speakers included Dr Patricia Ranald, AFTINET Convener, Lori Wallach from US Public Citizen (by video), John Edwards from Doctors without Borders (MSF), Sarah Agar from CHOICE and Dr Jim Stanford from McMaster University in Canada.
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) implementing legislation will be voted on in the Australian Parliament after the election – but many candidates have not yet made their positions clear.
'Not-so-free’ trade, investment and health: Focus on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
Hosted by the Southgate Policy Club
5.15pm – 7.00pm, Tuesday, 3 May 2016 at Flinders in the City, Victoria Square Level 1 Lecture Theatre 1
18 April 2016
Completing secret negotiations on the India FTA and PACER-Plus agreement during the election period could violate the caretaker convention and would be undemocratic.
Join us to March against the TPP at May Day in Sydney and Melbourne. Please bring your own TPP signs.
SYDNEY: 11am Belmore Park (near Central Station)
Meet us at the Eddy Ave end of Belmore Park, near Central Station. Look out for the TPP and AFTINET banners.
Our convener Dr Pat Ranald is an official speaker on the day and will be talking about the TPP corporate power grab. More details here.
MELBOURNE
Meet out the front of Trades Hall at 1pm. Look out for the big TPP/Democracy banner. More details here
1 May 2016
Sliding living standards, wage stagnation for working people and rising wealth inequality are big issues as the Australian Federal Election approaches.
How does the TPP fit in?
13 April 2016
More than 50 influential health, religious and labor groups in the US have written to Congress to call for the TPP trade deal to be rejected. Their letter expresses grave concerns about the deal's impact on access to affordable medicines for people in TPP countries.
11 April 2016
News that steel mining company Arrium has been placed into administration has left almost 7,000 Australian workers worrying about their future, 2000 of them in the SA town of Whyalla.
9 April 2016
US mining company Nucoal is using a free trade agreement to put pressure on the Australian government to pay compensation over cancelled licences.
Read AFTINET Convener Dr Patricia's op ed here.
6 April 2016
The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties Inquiry into the TPP received a record number of 175 substantial submissions, most of which are critical of the deal. These can be found on the JSCOT website here.
The inquiry also received over 11,000 critical messages, which have not yet been registered on the website. These record numbers reflect the strong community criticism and opposition to the TPP