AFTINET's Convener Dr Patricia Ranald appeared on Sunrise to talk about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Watch it here!

Richard Dennis writes in the Australian Financial Review of the divisions in the Coalition Government over investor rights to sue governments. Many National Party supporters oppose it because it would threaten the regulation of coal seam gas mining.

See this recent letter co-signed by AFTINET and Lock the Gate, which was endorsed by 54 rural groups.

This New York Times article shows how prescription asthma medication costs $250 a month in the US, because of longer patents and no price regulation, compared with a maximum of $36.10 for prescription medicines in Australia. This could happen here if US pharmaceutical companies succeed in using the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) to extend patents and to prevent governments from regulating medicine prices.

ABC TV program Lateline aired concerns about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) including the potential impact on public health and medicines, as well as investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS).

The feature includes an interview with AFTINET's Convener Dr Patricia Ranald and former Trade Minister Richard Marles (now Opposition Trade Spokesperson).

Watch the program or read the transcript here

Health organisations have sent this letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott outlining their concerns about the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) on public health.

The Sydney Morning Herald's summary of the APEC summit held in Bali mentions the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and quotes AFTINET.

AFTINET's Dr Patricia Ranald outlines the concerns over the TPPA in this article and radio interview from the ABC.

"The negotiations have a large number of sticking points, which are mainly caused because the US has made a number of what I would call fairly extreme demands about changing regulation.

Dr Deborah Gleeson and Dr Paula O'Brien write in the Australian Medical Journal that the TPPA may create barriers to Australia introducing the optimal health warnings scheme for wine and spirit containers.

More.

03/10/2013

AFTINET and six public health organizations today urged the Abbott Government to reject proposals in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA) to increase monopoly privileges for drug companies which would increase medicine prices by delaying access to cheaper generic medicine.

Full submission .

Professor Matthew Rimmer criticises Coalition trade policy, TPPA secrecy and proposals for foreign investors to sue governments.

Read the article.