Secret negotiations to trade away Australia’s sovereignty

Vanguard April 2011 p. 5
Bill F.

A new wave of multinational takeover and control of Australia is being pushed by the US under the guise of “trade liberalisation”. The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, the off-spring of the Australia US Free Trade Agreement which started in 2004, will trade away Australia’s sovereignty and erode democratic rights.

The text and details of the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) are being negotiated behind closed doors by government Trade Representatives of the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Peru, Chile and Singapore.

Five meetings have already taken place across the region. A further 4 meetings are scheduled for this year, with the goal of completion in time for the APEC meeting in Honolulu in November. No text of the agreement will be made available for parliamentary scrutiny, let alone public scrutiny, until after the agreement is signed off by government Trade Ministers. Even then, the parliament in Australia will only vote to approve the implementing legislation rather than the detail of the text. Once signed into law, the agreement can only be changed by mutual consent of the countries – there’s no way to back out later.

If you think this is not a very democratic procedure, just have a look at what is being proposed among the items listed for negotiation so far. They include all the items the US was unable to achieve all at once in the Australia US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), plus further limitations on the right of governments to regulate trade and investment, that is, to regulate the activities of the largest foreign-owned multinational corporations operating in Australia.

A bitter pill - PBS
An immediate target for the US negotiators is the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) which provides a large number of common medications to the people at affordable prices. The US ‘Free Traders” argue that government subsidisation of the PBS unfairly infringes on the competitiveness of the giant US pharmaceutical monopolies. They want to be able to penetrate the Australian market and charge similar prices to the USA, typically between three and ten times more than here for the same medications.

During the AUSFTA negotiations, massive public opposition in Australia was able to defend the main benefits of the PBS, but now the battle has to be fought again. Unless they are put under pressure, the weak Labor government is likely to continue its appeasement of US demands.

Corporate Investors Rights
Even more threatening is the proposal to insert into the agreement the right of corporate investors to sue the Australian government for damages if government action or legislation restricts their ability to make investments or to accrue profits. This is known as “investor-state provision” and was originally rejected by Australia in the AUSFTA.

This is a Pandora’s Box that could be used to overturn domestic laws on foreign investment, quarantine, medical and education standards, food labelling, agriculture and food production, cigarette advertising and many other matters that benefit the people. It could also over-ride the government’s power to protect native flora and fauna, heritage regions, national parks and marine parks and threaten indigenous rights granted under Native Title. Foreign corporate monopolies would have free range to trample all over us, wreck the natural environment and demand compensation if any local restrictions were put in their way of profit making.

United campaign
In Australia a broad-based campaign against the TPPA is being initiated by the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET www.aftinet.org.au) who also played a leading role in building opposition to the AUSFTA. Unions, community groups, professionals, farmers, environmentalists, the Greens and Independents are also joining in the campaign against the TPPA. AFTINET have been working closely with similar groups in New Zealand strongly campaigning against the TPPA and the sell-off of their country to foreign multinationals and investors.

This campaign is an important challenge to the domination of Australia by US imperialism and will win wide support among the people when the facts are known. But, you won’t find out about it in the monopoly media. It’s up to us to spread the facts and implications of the TPPA on our living conditions and Australia’s democratic rights and sovereignty. A broad united front of action against the TPPA and imperialist domination of Australia is building up.