ACTU – Turnbull Government climbs aboard sinking TPP

The Turnbull Government plans to attempt to pass the legislation to ratify the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP), a deeply flawed agreement that could cost up to 40,000 Australian jobs.

This agreement has been fatally compromised by President-Elect Donald Trump announcing that dismantling it will be one of his first acts in office.

Despite this, and despite the fact that it will cost tens of thousands of Australian jobs and hand the power to over-ride our laws to multi-national corporations, the Turnbull Government says that ratifying this agreement is one of its legislative priorities for the new year.

Quotes attributable to Ged Kearney, President, ACTU:

• “Prime Minister Turnbull is finding new and innovative ways to be out of touch – this time moving to ratify a trade agreement which would place the interests of corporations ahead of Australian workers and could see huge numbers of local workers  lose their jobs, their livelihoods and for younger workers a decent future.”
• “Instead of working on a plan to put an end to rising underemployment and casualisation, or improving wage growth, or even simply trying to prevent Australia slipping into recession, the Turnbull Government is ratifying dead trade agreements.”
• “This agreement would hand multi-national corporations significant power to challenge Australian laws through an Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Clause, which circumvents normal legislative process.”
• “The TPP would cost 39,000 Australian jobs by 2025 according to a study from Tufts University, why the so called ‘Jobs and Growth’ Turnbull Government would think this is a favorable agreement for Australian workers is baffling.”
• “The TPP removes labour market testing and commits Australia to accepting unlimited numbers of temporary workers in all 651 occupations under the 457 visa system for six additional countries. We have seen temporary workers exploited on a regular basis and no assessment has been made of the potential negative effects on the Australian labour market.”