Aus: Senate to force TPP publication

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http://delimiter.com.au/2013/12/05/senate-force-tpp-publication/

The Greens and Labor teamed up in the Senate yesterday to successfully move a motion which would force the Coalition Government to table the text of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement before Australia signs the treaty.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a secretive, multi-national trade agreement that threatens to extend what many see restrictive intellectual property (IP) laws across the globe and rewrite international rules on its enforcement. A number of major countries are currently negotiating the agreement, including the US, Japan, Australia, Peru, Malaysia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Canada, Mexico, and Brunei Darussalam.

Leaked draft texts of the agreement have previously shown that the intellectual property chapter would have extensive ramifications for users’ freedom of speech rights, right to privacy and due process, and could hinder innovation. The process of the TPP negotiations has been shrouded in secrecy and the full text of drafts of the proposed agreement has never been publicly released.

In mid-November, Australian political parties and digital rights lobby groups erupted in outrage after a Wikileaks leak of the intellectual property rights chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership revealed Australians could be slugged with new draconian measures if caught infringing copyright online.

Yesterday in the Senate, the Australian Greens successfully moved a motion (with the support of Labor) that will bring greater transparency on the TPP. “Today’s result is an important step forward in compelling Tony Abbott to end the secrecy and hidden agendas that have defined his Government to date,” said Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, Australian Greens spokesperson for trade.

“Our order for production of documents will make the final text of the TPPA publically available before being signed off by Cabinet, so the entire Australian community can scrutinise this trade deal to ensure it’s more than just ‘free’ but is ‘fair’ for our nation. What is important about this achievement is that it will take the politics out of the TPPA process and end the secrecy around Australia’s biggest ever trade negotiations.”