How will the TPP affect my right to clean water and healthy non-genetically modified food?

Will we be able to tell between GMO and non-GMO under the TPP?

The Trans-Pacific-Partnership is a trade deal right? So what has it got to do with the food I eat and the water I drink?

Well, the TPP will affect almost every aspect of daily life because the corporate world is involved in almost every aspect of our lives in the goods and services we trade; including food and water. In the first world, many of us assume good clean healthy food and water as a right that will never be taken away from us but under the TPP even these bare necessities can be threatened. The ISDS (an international court) clauses in the TPP gives corporations the right to sue a sovereign government for laws that impinge on profits. This means that we may make laws to protect our right to healthy food (with proper labeling for Genetically Modified Food) and clean water (keeping coal-seam-gas mining and major mining developments in the food producing area of Australia - out) but if a corporation has already got an agreement that has given them the right to do otherwise, the government treasury (tax-payers/our money) can be opened to them to compensate for their loss of potential profits. This literally makes the people of a country the economic slaves to corporations if they choose to protect what is normally taken for granted as a given - our food and water. Sounds ludicrous and maybe even sci-fi but under the TPP this threat is very real.

Coal-seam-gas is a new type of mining that is gaining more and more popularity in the mining sector. There have been major protests globally to put a stop to coal-seam-gas mining because it disrupts the land on which it is done: It injects a toxic soup of chemicals deep into the ground where our natural aquifers are situated (ground water) to cause the wanted mineral deposit to release and then that is sucked back up leaving the toxic soup in the ground. Farmland and country properties that rely on ground water are contaminated and numerous cases where it has been done in America locals in the area have had to get trucks to transport clean water in to them because the ground water is no longer safe to use for any purpose. It literally poisons the land. See the documentary Gasland for a good introduction to coal-seam-gas mining (now also out Gasland 2). The TPP may impede our ability too stop this from happening in Australia. In many countries, CSG has been banned, including Germany - we need not wonder why. Any civil disobedience or activism could be blocked by laws introduced to police protesters because under the TPP the government wouldn't be able to foot the bill of the compensation claims to the mining corporates. There are many initiatives in Australia to stop CSG (including 'Lock the Gate') and these could be jeopardised by the TPP.

Unfortunately this is the language the government speaks in. Although democracy is kept around for simply a cosmetic purpose, money is what makes the politicians put pen to the paper of dirty deals like the TPP.

The only way things like CSG can be already in progress is because the government has already put into law rights for mining corporations to do exploration on people's property. This law was most likely negotiated by corporate lobbyists representing the mining corporations who paid the government to put it into law. This is common practice in corporate policy. This is all done without the people's consent, under the table so to speak. From now on you must understand the government is not working in your favor unless we stand together to change it. Simply electing a leader means nothing, as we all know from experience politicians lie to get into office, or they tell the truth to start but aren't yet tempted by the money-sweeteners the corporate lobbyists have to offer them individually. If we want a sustainable future for Australia, we are going to have to fight for it and have an active role in the politics of our country.

Open cut coal mine in Telford

Mining rights have recently been sold to the Shenhua Mining company from China to make a giant open cut coal mine right in 'Australia's food bowl' district in the Liverpool plains. To the average person with normal intelligence we can make the rational decision, this is NOT a good idea. But the government went and signed the paper without consulting the public (actually there has overt public action against such mines), someone got a massive cheque and Shenhua gets what they want. There WILL be civil disobedience and this will NOT proceed because there are so many passionate individuals willing to protect the land in that area. Renewable energy resources have already been proven (here and here) to far outweigh coal and oil use in industry as far as the overall cost, the effect on the environment and the safety of our livelihoods; however the mining magnates don't want to let go, because they can't put a price on the wind,the sun or the sea. To not start this mine - is a no brainer. But WTF someone went and signed the piece of paper anyway and now we have to fight for it - if the TPP goes through this will give Shenhua the rights to sue the Australian Government (out of tax payers money) for the loss of potential profits for not opening the mine should the protesters be successful in stopping it.

Unfortunately the Shenhua mine case is not uncommon and we must open our eyes to see what is going on around us. The government is not in our control. We live in an illusion of democracy and a 'chance' for freedom but unless we take control of this chance now!

GMO has not been tested for human consumption and yet it is being distributed. 

Then we have Monsanto. Monsanto is a company that makes a cancer causing herbicide called Round-up (active ingredient glyphosate) which is widely used in all areas of major cities in Australia as weed control. If laws were put in place to restrict its use or make people more aware of the dangers of this chemical herbicide/pesticide the tax-payers would have to foot the bill to compensate for the profit losses. Genetically modified food, including its invasive crops and patented seeds are a danger to local farmers and their right to earn a living, these products have been banned in various countries . The TPP poses a direct threat to Australian agriculture because test GMO crops are already being planted around Australia as we speak and there is as yet no legislation to protect us from this global profit monster Monsanto. Food labeling to know if food contains genetically modified food would be contested by Monsanto in the international court if the TPP goes ahead. GMO has not been through rigorous testing and can cause birth abnormalities, liver malfunction and cancer. We must realise that GMO has been banned in many countries already and only because the issue has not gained the publicity in Australia that it has in other countries, do we not yet have regulations to ban GMO from the Australian family kitchen.

These are serious issues and we all need to get involved because this will affect every part of our lives. 

When we talk about compensation claims we aren't talking about petty cash here, we are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars in settlements to companies that lose out because we exercise our right to make laws to stop them destroying our environment, our agriculture; and threatening our right to healthy non-genetically modified food and clean water.

Stop the TPP and get actively involved in your government to stop corruption and protect our right to these bare necessities.