ISDS lawyers urge corporates to sue for claimed Brexit losses
October 3, 2017: Corporate Europe Observatory reports that ISDS lawyers are predicting that foreign investors may be able to sue for claimed losses after Brexit.
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is a massive free trade agreement involving Australia and ten other Pacific Rim countries, which reduces our democratic rights while increasing the rights of global corporations. The TPP is bad for:
- Democracy. It allows global corporations to sue governments over health, environment and public interest laws. Read more.
- Workers. Contains no real protection for labour rights or migrant workers, and removes labour market testing for temporary migrant workers. Read more.
- Essential services: locks in deregulation, promotes privatisation and prevents future governments from regulating in the public interest, Read more
- The environment. Lacks enforceable commitments to key international agreements, does not mention climate change and allows corporations to sue over new environmental laws. Read more.
- Internet users. Locks in strong rights for copyright holders at the expense of consumers and internet users. Read more.
After six years of community campaigning, the withdrawal of the US in January 2017 meant the original TPP-12 could not proceed, but the 11 remaining governments suspended some clauses and rebadged it as the Comprenensive Progressive TPP or TPP-11, which was signed in March 2018 and approved for ratification by the Australian Parliament in October 2018, If six of the eleven countries ratify it before the end of 2018, it will come into force for those countries in 2019.
For in-depth analysis and resources, including AFTINET’s submissions to parliamentary inquiries, click here.
Updated October 2018
Community groups urge US to ditch ISDS in NAFTA
September 25, 2017: A coalition of labour, public health and environmental groups have urged the United States to remove the investor-state dispute settlement system (ISDS) from NAFTA, arguing it undermines State sovereignty, human rights and environmental protections.
TPP-11 talks identify 50 items to suspend or renegotiate
September 25, 2017: Last week the eleven remaining countries attempting to revive the Trans-Pacific Partnership (the ‘TPP-11’) met in Tokyo.
They will meet again in Japan next month, and hope to reach general agreement by November.
TPP claims of economic gains without US debunked by senior UN economist
September 20, 2017: A new economic study has completely undermined previous claims that the Trans-Pacific partnership agreement without access to the giant US market would still result in significant economic gains for the remaining 11 countries.
Canada and Mexico want ISDS in NAFTA, against their own national interests
September 18, 2017: Ambassadors from Canada and Mexico have told Politico that their governments want to keep Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), despite the fact that most NAFTA ISDS cases have been taken by US companies against their governments.
Sydney TPP meeting outcome vindicates community concerns
September 1. 2017: Trade negotiators from 11 of the original 12 TPP countries met in Sydney from August 28-30 for their third set of talks to see if the TPP can be revived without the US, aiming to complete talks by November this year. The 11 countries are Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.
TPP 11 Sydney meeting outcome vindicates community concerns
Media Release September 1, 2017: “Australian Trade Minister Steve Ciobo’s call for minimal changes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership text appears to have been rejected by the other TPP 11 negotiators who met in Sydney this week. Instead the 11 governments* have agreed to suspend controversial clauses on medicine monopolies and some governments want to renegotiate other clauses. This vindicates community concerns that that many TPP clauses are not in the public interest,” AFTINET convener Dr Patricia Ranald said today..
Zombie TPP without the US even worse for Australia
August 29, 2017: Dr Patricia Ranald, Convenor of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network, and University of Sydney Research Associate, explains why governments should not revive the zombie TPP.
Community and international health groups protest TPP revival at Sydney meeting
Media Release August 28, 2017: Community groups will rally today outside a meeting of trade negotiators from 11 of the original 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership countries* who are discussing whether the TPP can be revived without the US, and how much the text should be changed.
“Trade Minister Ciobo should not be supporting revival of the dead TPP without change when there is strong community opposition and the Australian Parliament has not endorsed it,” said Dr Patricia Ranald, convener of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET).
Public health and other community organisations from most TPP countries have also written to all TPP ministers warning that TPP provisions would have serious consequences for the health of the people in TPP countries.
Health organisations oppose TPP revival
August 24, 2017: Public health and other community organisations from most TPP countries have written to all TPP ministers warning that TPP provisions would have serious consequences for the health of the people in countries, the availability of affordable medicines, the ability of foreign corporations to sue governments over health protection laws, and the processes for approving pharmaceuticals for subsidies.
The open letter has been signed by prominent international and national health bodies, including the World Federation of Public Health Associations and the Public Health Association of Australia. The letter advises the ministers that “the only truly acceptable approach to ensure adequate and effective protection of health and access to affordable medicines in all TPP11 countries is to renegotiate the whole TPP”.
Health, consumer and patient groups who have signed include Médecins Sans Frontières, HIV/AIDs groups from Vietnam and Malaysia, the Latin American Alliance for access to medicines, and medical workers associations, consumers and unions from Australia, Japan and many other TPP11 countries.