ACTU – PACER-Plus Agreement fails Pacific economies

14 June 2017

The refusal of Vanuatu, Fiji and Papua New Guinea to attend the signing of the PACER-Plus trade deal shows that this agreement will disadvantage Pacific island economies and leave them exposed to exploitation.

Serious concerns about the agreement - which includes Australia, New Zealand and 11 other Pacific Island nations – have been raised by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) and supported in a petition circulated by the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET) of which the ACTU is a signatory.

Please see full AFTNIET Petition attached.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:

• “We have serious concerns about the impact of the agreement on Pacific Island nations, including its impact on local industries and local cultures.”
• “The fact that three of the largest Pacific island economies have refused to sign today is a serious embarrassment for the Australian Government, who have long championed this deal.”
• “This is the latest entry on the list of Turnbull Government unfair trade negotiations which serve the interests of corporations rather than working people.”
• “We have seen in Australia that globalisation often works for a select few and can devastate communities if corporate power is allowed to run rampant.”
• “The ACTU supports fair trade and deals which prioritise the interests of working people, wherever they are.”
• “The kind of power imbalance between local workers and multi-national corporations which Australian unions are trying to rectify in Australia is exactly that this agreement would thrust onto our neighbours and we cannot stand by and watch that happen.”