Leaked documents reveal hardline US tactics in negotiating trade agreement
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Version 0 of 1. Leaked documents from the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations between Australia and its 10 Pacific neighbour nations suggest the US is using “high-pressure tactics” to get market access, as the Abbott government refused to release details ahead of signing the deal. The government has refused an order by the Senate to release the details of Australia’s position on the TPP before the agreement is signed, a move Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson described as a “contempt” for the Australian parliament and the people. Critics of the TPP are concerned that the deal could affect anything from the cost of medicines to the intellectual property rights of Australian citizens who compete with competitors in Pacific countries, notably the US. However trade minister Andrew Robb on Monday said no final agreement had been made and he committed not to subscribe to anything not in the interests of the Australian people, including on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, says the disclosure in the Senate of information relating to the multilateral agreement would be prejudicial to Australia’s interests and would breach the government’s commitments to other negotiating nations. “Accordingly and consistent with long standing Senate conventions the government claims public interest immunity in relation to the documents covered by this order,” Cormann said in his letter to the Senate. Whish-Wilson described the Senate order as “a win for every Australian who demanded to know how their farm, small business, cost of medicines, labour rights, internet freedoms, and local environment could be affected by this nation's biggest ever trade negotiation.” "What this letter says is that the Abbott government will not abide by the will of the Senate to allow all Australians the right to know how the TPPA trade deal will affect their lives and businesses because the United States has not said it is OK to do so,” he said. "The Abbott government has shown contempt for the Senate and the Australian people.” The documents, leaked by WikiLeaks, on Monday, show the negotiating positions of the 12 different nations at 6 November this year, prior to the talks currently occurring in Singapore. One document sets out various positions on intellectual property, public health, climate change, industrial relations, sharing of private information, biodiversity and e-commerce. The other document contains excerpts from documents from “internal government commentary”. The context is not provided. Matthew Rimmer, an expert in intellectual property and associate professor at the Australian National University, said the leaks show stark divisions in the positions of the Pacific nations. “These texts show these divisions are not going to be resolved in Singapore,” Rimmer said. “It shows the US have been unyielding in their negotiations - demanding access to all areas. The US have high-pressure sales tactics but countries which accede to their demands may suffer buyer regret.” Rimmer said the US strategy appeared to be to promise market access in return for pushing its agenda on intellectual property and investment, while isolating smaller countries and breaking down alliances between countries. “Despite countries indulging in ‘boosterism’ in the past few weeks, the cold hard realities is there is lots of discord,” Rimmer said. The TPP agreement is being negotiated between Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Chile and Singapore, aimed at simplifying trade between the 12 nations. Robb said he remained focused on the benefits for Australia. “I have made it clear from the outset that for Australia, material improvements in terms of market access is of highest priority,” Robb said. “We are not going to engage in commentary regarding material that purports to be the characterisations of another unnamed country. “As I have said repeatedly, we will not subscribe to anything that is not in the interests of the Australian public or which undermines our PBS or health system. The mandate provided to me by cabinet is very clear on this.” The Greens have raised alarm over the inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism in Australia's free trade agreement with the Republic of Korea. Robb’s spokesman said the agreement contained "a number of important safeguards and carve-outs to protect our ability to govern in the public interest in areas, such as welfare, health, safety, and the environment". Whish-Wilson said the Treasury had warned in 2010 against limiting future domestic policy flexibility by agreeing to such dispute settlement provisions. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |