Australians resisting free trade deal with US that would empower corporations

Verfasst von: GetUp! (Account: Nuclear Worrier). Verfasst am: 25.01.2015 - 15:34. Geschehen am: Sonntag, 25. Januar 2015.
Flush the TPP

 As popular opposition grows in Europe to the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA), so many Australians oppose a similar Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. The Australian online activist group GetUp! is running a campaign, calling it "The scariest treaty you've never heard of”.

 

By signing the TPP, Australia risks permanently shifting the power to protect our environment away from our Australians and towards corporations. Corporations will be allowed to sue our governments for 'loss of profits' when they're prevented from destroying our natural heritage – even in cases where it would clearly be catastrophic to allow it.

There are already cases of this happening elsewhere under similar trade agreements. When Quebec placed a ban on dangerous fracking processes in a local river, a foreign-owned energy company filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Canadian government.2

The (Australian) Abbott Government can still walk away, or reject the parts of the deal that hurt Australia's national interest – but without public pressure, who knows what kind of agreement they'll sign on to? Most people haven't even heard of the TPP – but we can change that. Let's show Minister Robb we're watching, and let our government know that our environment won't be sold out for corporate profits.

Now's the time to speak out against the TPP and urge Prime Minister Abbott and Minister Robb not to sign the dotted line.

Let's make some noise: http://www.getup.org.au/tpp-environment

 

Want to know more?

 

If the trade agreement includes Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions, it could mean that foreign-owned companies will have the power to sue the Australian Government for decisions that adversely impact on their investments in Australia. Worst of all, these cases would be played out in secret international courts which only corporations have access to.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is currently undergoing negotiations between 12 countries: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
This is already being seen in the case of tobacco giant Phillip Morris, which is using an ISDS provision in the Australian-Hong Kong treaty to sue the Australian Government over its plain-packaging laws. When Quebec placed a ban on dangerous fracking processes in a local river, a trade agreement similar to the TPP made it possible for a foreign-owned energy company to file a $250 million lawsuit against the Canadian government.

It's already happening in El Salvador, where a Canadian company is suing the government for $315 million in "loss of future profits" because local citizens won a hard-fought campaign against a gold mine that threatened to contaminate their water supplies.

It's happening in Argentina, where the government imposed a freeze on water and energy bills during the GFC and was sued by an international utilities company.

It's even happening in Canada, where American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is demanding $500 million in compensation — as well as changes to Canadian patent laws — because courts revoked two of its patents for lack of evidence around the drugs' supposed benefits.

For more on the potential dangers of ISDS provisions, see ABC Radio National's story here.

The treaty gives global pharmaceutical companies far-reaching power to extend their patents in order to prevent or delay the manufacture of cheaper generic medicines and curb subsidy programs that keep drugs more affordable in Australia and elsewhere. Imagine having to pay $50-$100 - or more - for a simple asthma inhaler. That's the average cost in the US, when they currently sell for less than $10 here.
...and dob you in for possible copyright infringement. We all know piracy is illegal, but this treaty gives US companies the power to pull strings that could make heavy-handed spying, fines, internet service disconnection and even criminal charges the norm for even the most minor and potentially unintentional infringements. And what about privacy?
When Quebec placed a ban on dangerous fracking processes in a local river, a trade agreement similar to the TPP made it possible for a foreign-owned energy company to file a $250 million lawsuit against the Canadian government. We really don't need foreign-owned mining companies bullying our government or preventing us from protecting our land.
Kelsey, Aurora and Leah for the GetUp team

 


 ~ References ~
[1] 'Hostile Environment: TPP Green Chapter "Virtually Meaningless"', Michael Safi, The Global Mail. 16 January 2014.
[2] 'U.S. firm to launch NAFTA challenge to Quebec fracking ban' Globe and Mail. 15 November 2012.