Antinuclear

Australians unaware of what they will lose with the Trans Pacific Partnership

Australia’s imminent TPP disaster: Crowning corporations, Independent Australia Dr Matthew Mitchell 13 February 2015, The controversial top-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership is due to be signed very soon and is likely to have negative impacts upon many areas of ordinary Australian’s lives without any financial gain whatsoever, writes Dr Matthew Mitchell.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a global trade agreement being pushed by the United States onto nations around the Pacific.  What is so disturbing about the TPP compared with other trade agreements is that it covers so many areas. Its breadth means it will affect many aspects not only of Australian business, but also of everyday Australian life.

How will the TPP affect Australians? Well, for one, it has the potential to make people much more wary about using the internet. I say potential, because we do not really know what will be in the final agreement as it is all being discussed in secrecy, but thanks to some brave leakers we have some idea of what to expect — and what we have seen is very disturbing.

In relation to internet use, there is potential that laws regarding fair-use may be changed so that even downloading a web page could be considered a breach of copyright and a punishable offence. Now, it is not likely that corporations are going to go around and fine people for accessing their webpages — unless perhaps you are involved in public campaign against that corporation for some reason and then accessing and using information from that company’s web-page may be something they decide to prosecute you on. Sounds unbelievable doesn’t it? Yet, this is a possibility evident from the leaked text.

Another risk is that the TPP will require internet service providers to police copyright infringements— that is, inform companies when users download illegal copies who in turn may require the internet service provider (ISP) to terminate your account.

But the TPP is not limited to digital goods and copyright. It ranges across areas from agriculture to other areas of intellectual property, thereby impacting on many industries, including food (and food labelling) and pharmaceuticals. Thus, another risk is that the price of medicines may rise……..

another dangerous element of the TPP: a parallel legal system implemented just for multi-national corporations called an Investor-state Dispute Settlement(ISDS) syste.

Monbiot says that problem with ISDS is [IA emphasis]:

“… the remarkable ability it would grant big business to sue the living daylights out of governments which try to defend their citizens. It would allow a secretive panel of corporate lawyers to overrule the will of parliament and destroy our legal protections. Yet the defenders of our sovereignty say nothing.”

Certainly, there are concerning precedents for ISDS where companies have sued governments for compensation over perceived losses when governments have changed their laws.

The most well-known case in Australia the one in which multinational tobacco company Phillip Morris sought compensation for bans on tobacco advertising under a trade-agreement. Phillip Morris pursued this case through an ISDS even though Australia’s High Court had ruled that it was not entitled to compensation…….https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/why-the-tpp-would-be-a-disaster-for-australia,7368#.VN2YZZAm3mY.twitter

• Feb 27 – Senate Inquiry into Trade Process submissions close

Please contact your local MP to express your concern about this undemocratic trade deal, clearly designed to favour foreign multinationals for no benefit to ordinary Australians. Also, join GetUp!’s campaign against the TPP.

February 14, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics international