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| A public performance illuminating the corporate slavery effect of the TPP and CHaFTA 14/8/15 |
Here is a copy of the information we used on the flyer for the 14/8 performance action in Fremantle, Western Australia: You can download a flyer of the PDF called 'She Won't Be Right Mate' - Here!
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Implied Consent means if you don’t actively oppose something the government takes this as your consent. We assume the government works for us – sure, things aren’t always easy - but now government interests are becoming detached from the people’s interests.
How does this happen? Well, lobbyists (corporate advisors) approach politicians to pass laws that favour industries they represent. The ISDS (Investor State Dispute Settlement) is a private international tribunal that when included in a trade agreement between countries gives big-business the right to sue a government for any law, regulation or court ruling that infringes on their profits.
There are ISDS provisions in CHAFTA (Chinese-Australian Free Trade Agreement). Under CHAFTA, Chinese corporations in projects worth over $1.5 billion can import Chinese labour for their projects. They can pay these workers Chinese wages, potentially undermining Australian wages and work conditions.
CHAFTA was negotiated behind closed doors and signed on June 17th with no public consultation. It has yet to go through parliament. We can still stop it, if we make our voices heard to MPs NOW!
The TPP (Trans-Pacific-Partnership) is called a ‘free trade agreement’, but it is really an Investor's Rights Agreement between Australia, USA and 10 other countries. International ministers and 605 unnamed corporate advisors have been secretly negotiating this deal for over five years. The public has only seen leaked documents. If signed it will effectively give corporations the right to sue us for laws which protect our rights, our environment, and our lives as families and individuals. Major protests around the world are in progress to stop this blatant corporate power-grab.
Poorer developing countries eager for international trade who have signed similar agreements are now facing $billion corporate law suits, rivalling their GDP. Globally there are over 500 ISDS law suits in progress! Locally, Australia is being sued for potential lost profits from plain cigarette packaging by Philip Morris under an ISDS clause in the 1993 Hong Kong trade agreement. - If Australia wins, we will still have to pay the legal fees. So far this is over $50 million. That's your tax money gone! We already have ISDS provisions in trade agreements with other small countries but not with the big guns - China and USA - these countries are home to the world's largest corporations.
Our inaction is taken as consent to the TPP and CHAFTA. Your way of life WILL be affected. PLEASE ACT NOW.
For more information please visit:
australianunions.org.au/china_fta - Send a letter to your MP to stop CHAFTA now
fb.com/australiansAgainstChAFTA
TPPaustralia.org -- fb.com/groups/STOPTPPAustralia/
isdscorporateattacks.org
Brought to you by ISDS Action Group - whytpp.blogspot.com
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