2018-02-21
The revived Trans-Pacific Partnership must be heavily scrutinised through a Senate inquiry before any legislation passes the Parliament, The Australian Greens say.
“The trickling of information about this revived TPP raises more questions than it answers, and The Greens will move to refer it to a Senate Inquiry,” Greens Trade spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“On the one hand, we’re being told that we’ll have new trading opportunities with a handful of countries. On the other, our Prime Minister is spending this week trying to convince what would be our largest competitor, the US, to re-join the agreement.
“This new TPP shows there aren’t any improvements for Australia as a trading nation, and any of the Trade Minister’s so-called ‘wins’ can be gazumped by the US coming back to the table.
“We know the benefit of the original deal to Australia’s GDP was a measly 0.7 per cent – which at best is more like a rounding error. This is a deal tailor-made by corporations, for corporations, not to benefit the Australian public.
“It will mean corporations can sue the Government for making decisions in the best interest of our citizens. It will put the costs of vital cancer medications through the roof. It will open the door to sending more jobs offshore where labour is cheaper.
“I urge the senate to support sending the TPP to an inquiry, when the senate sits again in March.”