From the ‘GetUp’ organization:

There is much to be concerned about!

“Initial analysis from our allies at the Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network (AFTINET) has confirmed our worst fears about the impact the TPP will have on our democracy, our health and our environment.“

“TPP text favours corporate rights over citizens and communities,” [And Governments!]

The full text of the infamous and secret Trans-Pacific Partnership deal has finally been released.

Insanely, the public never had chance to review the text before Trade Minister Andrew Robb signed us on, but at least now we can see just what he’s been hiding.

Initial analysis from our allies at the Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network (AFTINET) has confirmed our worst fears about the impact the TPP will have on our democracy, our health and our environment.

And while the TPP has been hyped as the world’s largest trade deal in history – the greatest challenge facing our world today, climate change, fails to get a single mention.1

[Here we have what I call  a contradiction of sorts. Blog followers will be well aware of my  conclusions about “climate change dangers”. They are certainly not caused by carbon dioxide presence in the atmosphere, and do not warrant inclusion in any global restructuring scheme.

Yet it is paradoxical that the goals of the TPP proposals are coincidental with those of the UN/IPCC movement – basically to facilitate the aims of the New World Order].

Minister Robb’s plan was to keep the TPP shrouded in secrecy for as long a possible, which is why we need to the word out about the TPP to as many Australians before it goes to a vote in Parliament.

Can you share this image with your friends, family and coworkers to help get the word out on the TPP?
Click here to spread the word on Facebook.
Click here to spread the word on Twitter.
Or simply forward this email to friends and family, directing them to the petition at: https://www.getup.org.au/tpp
So, now that we have a preliminary analysis of the text, is the TPP as bad as we feared? Let’s break it down.
The TPP still includes ISDS provisions that will hand foreign companies the right to sue our governments over laws that affect their profits.2
The environmental chapter includes woefully inadequate safeguards. Worse still, climate change doesn’t rate a mention in any of the 6000 pages of the text.
While Minister Robb resisted pressure to extend pharmaceutical monopolies from five years to eight, an initial read of the text reveals that five years has been set as a “minimum” – which could pave the way for extensions.3
Thanks to pressure from GetUp members and our allies, Minister Robb pushed to carve out the tobacco industry from the ISDS provisions, which would’ve seen Australian governments sued over tobacco control measures. But there’s still room for other corporate interests to sue our governments over other laws that protect our public health and welfare.
The deal locks in the right for your internet service provider to spy on you and report possible copyright infringement to enforcement agencies.4

But remember, it’s far from a done deal. Now that the text is finally available for public consultation, the Labor Opposition will have their ears pricked to hear how Australians respond. So we need to show Labor they have overwhelming support to vote this dirty deal down. Starting now.
Click here to spread the word on Facebook.
Click here to spread the word on Twitter.
Or simply forward this email to friends and family, directing them to the petition at: https://www.getup.org.au/tpp
Down with the TPP!
Alycia, Mark, Daney and Nat for the GetUp team

PS. Since the story broke overnight, it’s been picked up by a few media outlets – but not nearly enough. If newspaper editors receive emails from people riled up about the TPP, it’ll show them there’s appetite to cover this important issue more. Will you take a minute to write a letter to the editor to ensure the TPP gets the coverage it deserves?

PPS. The final text still needs to be ratified by each of the 12 countries. This will prove difficult in all countries, but nowhere more so than in the US, where President Obama faces a steep uphill battle to get the deal through a hostile Congress. The US is the linchpin of the entire TPP agreement, which is why we’re currently talking to our allies in the US to work out the best way to undo it. Stay tuned for next steps.

References
[1] Climate change missing from full Trans-Pacific Partnership text, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 November 2015
[2] TPP trade deal: text published online, The Guardian, 6 November 2015
[3] TPP text favours corporate rights over citizens and communities, Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network media release, 5 November 2015
[4] TPP text favours corporate rights over citizens and communities, Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network media release, 5 November 2015

 

GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you’d like to contribute to help fund GetUp’s work, please donate now! To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here.
Our team acknowledges that we meet and work on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We wish to pay respect to their Elders – past, present and future – and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within Australia and the GetUp community.

 

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