Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Right now, big banking, software, pharmaceutical, and tobacco corporations are lobbying governments
from 12 countries to negotiate the dirtiest deal you’ve never heard of.
There’s a reason you haven’t heard of the TPP, or Trans-Pacific Partnership. There
are some major corporations and government officials that don’t want you to know what’s
in the deal. For one, our food safety standards, environmental
protections and local labour laws could all be threatened under the TPP.
We could all be forced to pay significantly more for the medicines we need.
And - you could be fined - or even sent to jail - for downloading copyrighted content
on the internet.
How will they know if you do it? Because your internet service providers could be required
to watch your online activity. But that’s not even the scariest part. The
TPP could give corporations the power to sue our government in secret foreign tribunals,
over any law or regulation they claim affects their “expected future profits.”
Don’t believe it? It’s already happening. Because of an investment agreement between
Hong Kong and Australia, Phillip Morris tobacco company is currently suing the Australian
government for billions of dollars over its plain packaging legislation.
If Australia signs onto the TPP, examples like this could be commonplace, as it may
allow foreign corporations around the world to sue the government over a change to any
law -- including laws that provide cheap access to medicines, or protect farmland from coal
seam gas mining.
This not only undermines our sovereignty, it also exposes taxpayer dollars to expensive
lawsuits.
Thankfully, not everyone is willing to sign on the dotted line just yet. In fact, most
government officials still have no idea what we’re even signing onto. For good reason.
In the US, Democrats and Republicans are uniting to oppose a fast-tracking of the TPP, demanding
open debates and negotiations instead. Despite a powerful corporate lobby that wants their
deal signed before the public has a chance to realise what's at stake.
It's our job to make sure our elected officials unite in the same way - by standing up to
overseas corporate interests and looking out for what's best for Australians.
Here’s the deal. Without a strong public outcry, politicians will only hear the concerns
of multinational corporations. And once the TPP is signed, it’s here forever.
There’s no expiration date, and it’s almost impossible for governments to withdraw.
This dirty deal has been deliberately branded as a “free trade” agreement. It is anything
but free for people like you