FREE TRADE – GOVERNMENT POLICY – AUSTRALIA

‘You will pay’: unions threaten Labor over trade

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Oct-19

Labor has attracted criticism from union leaders after the party’s caucus voted to support the federal government’s proposed free-trade agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru. Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union national secretary Michael O’Connor says the decision will cause ongoing tensions between sections of the union movement and Labor. Unions’ concerns about the trade deals include the clauses regarding investor-state dispute settlement clauses and labour market testing provisions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION

Labor to support Indonesia, Peru and Hong Kong free trade deals

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 17-Oct-19

Labor’s caucus will shortly decide whether to support the federal government’s proposed free trade agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru. Sources have indicated that Labor is unlikely to oppose the legislation, although it may seek a number of amendments. The ACTU will lobby Labor MPs to oppose the bill, due to concerns about issues such as the trade deals’ investor-state dispute settlement clauses and labour market testing provisions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Boris fast-tracks Aussie deal

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 27-Aug-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has met with his British counterpart Boris Johnson during the G7 leaders’ summit in France. They discussed issues such as the US-China trade war, Brexit and the UK’s plans to increase its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Morrison has also indicated that the two nations will act quickly to secure a free-trade agreement when Britain leaves the European Union. Britain is currently Australia’s eighth-largest trading partner and the second-largest source of direct foreign investment.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, GREAT BRITAIN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, GROUP OF SEVEN (G-7), UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Australia set to seal FTA with Indonesia

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-Mar-19

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham expects Australia’s exports to Indonesia to increase on the back of the free trade agreement between the two countries. The trade deal is due to be signed on 4 March, although it may be some months before it is ratified by parliament. Education, mining and tourism are among the Australian industries that are expected to benefit from the agreement, along with the citrus industry. Birmingham says Indonesian exports to Australia should also increase as a result of the trade deal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Shorten policy a risk to free trade

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Original article by Geoff Connolly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 3-Jan-19

Labor’s national conference in December supported changes to the party’s policy platform with regard to free-trade agreements, including bans on deals that waive ­labour-market testing requirements or include Investor State Dispute Settlement provisions. However, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says Labor’s policy would put Australia’s future free-trade deals at risk and undermine the ability of local companies to export their products and services. Meanwhile, data to be released on 3 January will highlight the economic benefits of Australia’s free-trade deals with China and South Korea.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Labor trade-off over pattern bargaining

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 11-Dec-18

Industrial relations is likely to be a key issue on the agenda at Labor’s upcoming national conference. Labor sources have indicated that the party is set to reinstate pattern bargaining as part of its industrial relations platform. However, Labor is expected to restrict pattern bargaining to workers in sectors that have low wages, such as childcare and cleaning. The ACTU is leading a union push for pattern bargaining to be allowed across all industries. Labor’s policies on free trade and asylum seekers are also expected to attract debate at the national conference.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

Brexit plan set to delay FTA with Australia

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Original article by Hans van Leeuwen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 19-Nov-18

The Australian-British Chamber of Commerce’s executive director Elizabeth Ames claims that British Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal is "bad news" for both nations. The deal will put the UK in a customs union with the European Union until a longer-term free-trade agreement can be worked out. Ames says the UK could remain in the customs union indefinitely, during which time it would not be able to negotiate a trade deal with Australia or other nations. Australia exported $6.1 billion of goods to the UK in 2017, along with $5.4 billion worth of services.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, GREAT BRITAIN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

As TPP clears the Senate, Morrison hails export boon

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 18-Oct-18

The Senate has voted 33-15 to pass a bill to ratify the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, after it gained the support of Labor and several cross-benchers. Unions had opposed the TPP, particularly the provisions with regard to labour market testing and investor-state dispute settlements, and Labor will seek to remove these clauses from the TPP if it wins the next election. Prime Minister Scott Morrison notes that economic modelling suggests that the TPP will increase Australia’s national income by about $15.6bn a year by 2030.

CORPORATES
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CENTRE ALLIANCE

Indon FTA on track despite Israel uproar

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Original article by Andrew Tillett, Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 18-Oct-18

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has downplayed concerns that a proposed free-trade agreement with Indonesia may be jeopardised by any change in Australia’s policy on Israel. According to media reports, Foreign Minister Marise Payne has been warned by her Indonesian counterpart that the nations’ bilateral relations would be damaged if Australia relocated its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Farmers are concerned that Australia’s live cattle exports to Muslim countries could be affected.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, INDONESIA. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL FARMERS’ FEDERATION LIMITED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Miners warn Labor over Indonesia FTA

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Original article by John Kehoe, Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 17-Oct-18

Australian mining companies argue that a proposed free-trade agreement with Indonesia must include an investor-state dispute settlement clause, given the Indonesian government’s recent policy of requiring resources projects to have majority ownership. The mining sector accounts for about one-third of Australia’s foreign direct investment in Indonesia. However, Labor opposes the federal government’s plans to include an ISDS clause in the FTA, a stance that is backed by unions.

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, COCA-COLA AMATIL LIMITED – ASX CCL, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIA-INDONESIA BUSINESS COUNCIL LIMITED, FREEPORT-McMORAN COPPER AND GOLD INCORPORATED, CHURCHILL MINING PLC, PLANET MINING, AUSTRALIA. EXPORT FINANCE AND INSURANCE CORPORATION, INDONESIA-AUSTRALIA BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP GROUP, LAW COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED, WHITE INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA LIMITED