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Australia

Civil society criticizes secretive Asia-Pacific free trade negotiations
9-Jul-2019 Devex
CSOs and other observers of the trade agreement have needed to rely on leaked 2015 documents to get a picture of what was on the table for discussion and whether there were protections offered to vulnerable communities and the environment.
PM hopes for Aust-EU trade deal progress
2-Jul-2019 SBS
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia wants to get into the "meaty section" of trade discussions with the European Union as soon as possible.
Australia hosts RCEP talks to promote free trade
28-Jun-2019 Xinhua Net
Trade officials from 16 nations across the Asia-Pacific region will sit down in the Australian city of Melbourne on Friday, to negotiate the terms of RCEP.
Australia leads secret trade negotiations that will sideline US
27-Jun-2019 The Sydney Morning Herald
Trade representatives from more than a dozen countries have flown into Australia to conduct highly secretive negotiations on a mega deal that will sideline the US amid the ongoing economic fall-out from the US-China trade war.
Indian dairy under threat from new trade deals
20-Jun-2019 GRAIN
Several new trade pacts that cater to transnational corporations, like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or the proposed deals pending with Europe, threaten to radically change the map and wipe out India’s small dairy producers.
Mine owner takes govt to arbitration
12-Jun-2019 Bangkok Post
Australian gold mining firm Kingsgate Consolidated is seeking negotiations with the new Thai government over the case in which it was ordered to cease mining operations in Phichit two years ago.
UN study shows more governments rejecting or limiting foreign investor-rights to sue governments (ISDS)
12-Jun-2019 AFTINET
A new study of trade and investment deals concluded in 2018 by UNCTAD shows that most have either omitted ISDS altogether or severely limited its scope, reports AFTINET
Labor holds off supporting Indonesian free trade agreement
10-Jun-2019 The Guardian
ALP had pledged to renegotiate agreement if it won office but will now wait until parliament resume to decide whether to ratify it
Old agreements must be terminated to bring life to investment
20-May-2019 East Asia Forum
Indonesia and Australia should agree to terminate the BIT upon entry into force of the IA-CEPA regardless of whether it ultimately includes an ISDS mechanism.
Poland to hold high-level talks on Prairie Mining coal projects dispute -sources
14-May-2019 Reuters
Poland’s prime minister and other government officials will meet to discuss a threat by Australia’s Prairie Mining to sue Warsaw over difficulties it faced in developing coal projects
Mining representative urges Australia to join Belt and Road Initiative
7-May-2019 Xinhua Net
Mining representative has highlighted the importance of an ongoing trade relationship with China, saying Australia missed an "opportunity" by not signing up to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) earlier.
Women’s rights vs corporate rights
2-May-2019 Indybay
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, known as ’RCEP,’ is a huge free trade agreement with potentially dire consequences for millions of women around the world.
Economic diplomacy: ASEAN trade, BRI deals and ageing Asia
24-Apr-2019 The Interpreter
Australia keep up its process of integration with the ASEAN, even though it now has bilateral agreements with four ASEAN members.
US company’s attempt to sue Australian government collapses
23-Apr-2019 The Guardian
Florida-based APR Energy sought compensation for treatment of its gas turbines.
Government concealed failure to cancel the old, worse version of ISDS in new Indonesia trade deal
11-Apr-2019 AFTINET
Detailed scrutiny of the text of the recent Indonesia trade deal has revealed that there are no provisions to cancel the old 1993 Indonesia-Australia bilateral investment agreement.
China FTA safeguard sting
2-Apr-2019 Queensland Country Life
If safeguard is triggered, tariff reverts to the lesser of WTO most-favoured-nation (MFN) applied rate of customs duty in effect on the date the safeguard measure is applied or the original base rate of the tariff reduction schedule.
Kingsgate prepares for legal challenge to mine closure
1-Apr-2019 Bangkok Post
The Australian mining company Kingsgate Consolidated, armed with a US$55-million insurance payout for the closure of its gold mine in Thailand, says it now has the financial means to pursue its arbitration case against the Thai government.
Australia - Hong Kong investment agreement
31-Mar-2019
As released by the Australian Government
Hong Kong FTA would still allow foreign investors to sue our government, says AFTINET
27-Mar-2019 AFTINET
The Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement and separate Investment Agreement signed still give special rights to foreign investors to bypass national courts and sue governments for millions of dollars in international tribunals
Australian faces free trade agreement pressure to cut emissions
26-Mar-2019 Australian Financial Review
Australia is set to come under increased pressure on climate change after French officials insisted the Morrison government’s carbon emissions targets are not ambitious enough to fully comply with the Paris agreement.