The Australia-US Free Trade Agreement

    This resource page provides links to key documents on the costs and benefits of the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, including reports and commentary from APO members and contributors. Ann Capling provides a comprehensive account of the background to the agreement, the main arguments and the negotiations in her book, All the Way with the USA: Australia, the US and Free Trade, published in APO’s Briefings series by UNSW Press; an extract from that book, dealing with the final negotiations, is available here (PDF file). AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTSMost federal government papers on the agreement - including the final text - are available on the FTA page at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website. The government-commissioned economic study of the agreement’s projected impact is also available. ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC STUDIES Two major studies have offered quite different appraisals of the benefits, or otherwise, of the agreement: • The Senate-commissioned report was written by Philippa Dee, an economist at the Australian National University who had worked at the Productivity Commission. Her analysis, reproduced in this working paper (PDF file) yielded a much smaller estimate of net benefits - $50 million per year - than the government-commissioned studies. • The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union commissioned the National Institute for Industry and Economic Research to model and analyse the impact of the agreement. The institute’s report (PDF file) challenges the benefits identified in the government-commissioned studies and argues that the agreement will lead to a loss of economic sovereignty. THE SENATE INQUIRY The Australian Senate report on the agreement, submissions to the inquiry and transcripts of the inquiry hearings are available online. FROM APO MEMBER ORGANISATIONS (starting with the most recent report) Arguing with a friend: dispute resolution under the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement A Commonwealth Parliamentary Library research note outlining the resolution process spelt out in the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement. Guide to copyright and patent law changes in the US Free Trade Agreement Implementation Bill 2004 The Commonwealth Parliamentary Library report on changes to the Copyright Act 1968 and Patents Act 1990, which form a significant and complex part of the Bill to implement the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement. The PBS and the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement The Parliamentary Library examination of how the agreement will affect the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Intellectual property rights and the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement The Parliamentary Library’s paper on the agreement’s impact on intellectual property rights. FTA and PBS: the Senate\u27s crucial role Countries such as Brazil and Thailand, with large generic pharmaceutical industries, are looking to Australia for leadership in countering the US’s bilateral push for global uniformly of high pharmaceutical prices, argues Thomas Faunce in this paper from the Centre for International and Public Law, Australian National University. Foreign investment and the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement The Parliamentary Library\u27s report on how the agreement treats foreign investment. Australia-US Free Trade Agreement: overview of potential legal issues While much of the AUSFTA negotiations involve \u27market access\u27 issues, domestic laws that discriminate against the other party\u27s goods and services or are otherwise considered unfavourable to the other party\u27s producers are also on the negotiating agenda. The Parliamentary Library\u27s Jacob Varghese provides a brief overview of some potential areas of Australian law that may be affected. \u27The Big Chill?\u27: concerns about the investor/state provisions in the proposed Australia-US Free Trade Agreement The Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace argues that no assessment has been made about the Australia-US free trade agreement’s impact upon economic, social and cultural rights. This briefing paper addresses two of the provisions of free trade agreements: the ability for private investors to sue states over their domestic regulation, and the composition and powers of free trade dispute resolution mechanisms over sovereign states. (This paper is no longer available online). A backdoor to higher medicine prices? Intellectual property and the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement Buddhima Lokuge, Thomas Faunce and Richard Denniss analyse the likely impact of the FTA on pharmacuiticals and conclude that the cost to Australian taxpayers is likely to be in excess of $1 billion over four years. (This paper is no longer available online). FROM OTHER APO CONTRIBUTORS (starting with the most recent report) Labor must stand firm on the FTA If the United States blocks changes to the free-trade deal, Labor should seek to renegotiate the whole agreement, writes John Quiggin A panicky PM The FTA might never have been the vote winner it was made out to be, argues Peter Browne Why Labor shouldn’t budge on the FTA (and why it’s already gone too far) The US-Australia Free Trade Agreement is not in Australia’s interests, argues John Quiggin in this overview of the debate so far Tightening the trade in intellectual property New protections for intellectual property owners sit oddly in the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, argues Mike Willis, and will work against Australia’s interests The downside of the FTA The government’s latest evidence in favour of the free trade agreement is complex and unconvincing, according to John Quiggin No such thing as free trade Prime Minister Howard has agreed to a trade deal with the US that puts Australia’s wider trade interests at risk, writes John Spoehr Investor discrimination There\u27s one area where the free trade agreement could make a big difference, argues John Edwards Selling out The free trade deal compromises important Australian industries for scant gain, according to Ann Capling     &nbsp