United States-Australia Free Trade passed by Congress & to be signed today

[papau]

From the Presidents daily schedule:

President Bush signs H.R. 4759, the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act in the Rose Garden at 9:30 am ET

I wonder how the folks in Australia feels about the new rules giving the US drug companies veto rights over the pricing of drugs under the Australian National medical plan.

[cprise]

1. Better yet

...I wonder how Clinton feels.

[aquart]

2. Does this mean American jobs go to Australia now?

[cprise]

3. It means we begin to dismantle their universal healthcare system

[nonbelief]

13. Why would it mean that?

Despite attempts to dismantle it by the current government, Australian labor conditions are still better in Australia than they are in the USA.

Australia isn't Mexico or India, you know...

[cprise]

4. By the way-- Kerry BACKED THIS POLICY

I hope he's satisfied.

[papau]

5. I thought the drug deal was a last minute add - and Kerry did not write

the treaty.

If you mean he voted yes in the all or nothing up/down vote - you are correct.

[cprise]

6. Doesn't mean a damn thing

And the vote wasn't "all or nothing". If the bill didn't pass then trade would continue with Australia NORMALLY.

[papau]

7. But without the 99% no duties-and it still must pass the Australian Senate

The trade deal, which the US Congress approved in mid-July, still faces a battle in Australia's Senate, where the opposition has tied its support to passage of amendments safeguarding subsidized medicines and local content rules for televisio

[cprise]

8. Ask yourself what U.S. Democrats are doing

Don't use the Australian Senate as an excuse. Not even Kerry would.

[papau]

10. Seems the left in AU agrees with Trade Treaty - except for drugs/content

Australia - U.S. Free Trade Deal Under Threat(US Drug Co veto rejected)


http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-trade-...

Australia - U.S. Free Trade Deal Under Threat
By REUTERS

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's free trade pact with the United States was under threat Tuesday with the government and opposition Labor at loggerheads over legislation backing the deal ahead of a cliff-hanger election tipped for October.

Legislation to enact the agreement in Australia has been passed in parliament's lower house but faces a tougher passage through the upper house Senate, where the government is in a minority and needs four more votes.

Center-left Labor leader Mark Latham said Tuesday his party supported the free trade deal but would not pass the enabling legislation that went with it unless the conservative government accepted two amendments proposed by Labor (to protect the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, a state-subsidized program reducing the prices of some drugs, and to allay concern that local content would disappear from Australian television and radio).

"Despite several flaws in the agreement, it has net economic benefits for Australia, and on this basis, should be supported," Latham told reporters.<snip>




http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=725471&mesg_id=725471

[cprise]

12. "A black day, indeed"

by FoboldFKY (785255) on Tuesday August 03, @11:55AM (#9869217)

Today, the final shread of faith that I had left in my government has finally disappeared. I am now sorry to be Australian.

I "know" why they're doing this. The same reason they got into politics in the first place. Power. Money. Fame. Although perhaps the wholesale "if you don't cave in, you can forget about trade and any kind of military protection in the future" line from the US government helped seal the deal.

What I do not understand is how these people sleep at night, knowing they have sold out every last Australian they supposedly represent. Do they lie in bed next to their loved ones and think "today I signed away my people's freedoms to foreign companies; what a great leader I am"? Or are they just so profoundly stupid that they can't see the plague they are about to unleash on us?

To the Liberals and Labor: you make me ashamed to even be the same nationality as you. If I ever hear you utter the word "freedom" again, I will be sick.

I'm going to cry in the corner now. You can rest easy knowing that you've betrayed us all.

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/08/03/1412211&tid=123&tid=98



I have to agree.

[rastignac5]

9. There's nothing wrong with free trade between industrialized nations

It's not comparable to NAFTA of CAFTA. There's not the inherent exploitation of cheap labor and natural resources as when developing countries are involved. Free trade between industrialized nations is mutually beneficial.

[w4rma]

11. I tend to agree. (nt)