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Sign the PETITION to the Senate against damaging clauses in RCEP

The RCEP is a massive trade deal being negotiated in secret between Australia, New Zealand, China, India, South Korea, Japan and the ten-member countries of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations). The proposed RCEP would cover half the world's population.

We need to tell all political parties in the Senate not to agree to damaging clauses in the negotiations.

Sign the PETITION to the Senate against damaging clauses in the proposed RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) and in favour of enforceable workers' rights and environmental standards.

You can print a hard copy of the Petition here, and donate to the campiagn here.

See more information, including a short printable flyer, here, and a longer explainer here. 

Media reports suggest companies could use ISDS against a future UK Labour government

August 19, 2019: The Financial Times is reporting that a future UK Labour government could face a flood of ISDS claims if it were to attempt to nationalise utility services. The report comes after the Labour Party announced its plan to nationalise the energy grid and other unities if it were elected in the next general election, and warned that compensation could be below market value.

Trump intellectual property demands on China based on distorted system says expert

August 8. 2019: Stephen Grenville from the Lowy Institute, formerly with the OECD, argues in The Interpreter that Australia should not uncritically join US attacks on Chinese theft of intellectual property (IP) on patents and copyright. He says that the current system is “so distorted by vested interests that the main beneficiary may be the army of patent lawyers and the legal process which support them.”

Indian Minister absent from RCEP meeting as tariff tensions unresolved

August 1, 2019:  Business Today of India reports that India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is not attending the RCEP ministerial meeting being held in Beijing today and tomorrow, but will be represented by a more junior official. The RCEP negotiations include China, India, Japan, South Korea, the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia and New Zealand.

Report says regulate tech giants but Australian govt leading deregulation push at WTO

July 29, 2019: After an 18-month inquiry, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which is independent of government, has produced a Report on Digital Platforms with 23 recommendations for regulation to protect consumer privacy, prevent extremist and misleading digital content, address the market dominance of Facebook and Google and support public interest journalism.

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