What's the Rush? - PACER Plus: let's get it right [1]
Monday, October 26, 2009 - 16:20. Updated on Thursday, August 21, 2014 - 15:59.
Pacific Island Trade Officials and Ministers will meet their Australian and New Zealand counterparts this week, in Brisbane, to discuss a new trade deal.
"There has been a concerted push by Australia and New Zealand to move PACER Plus negotiations forward. This is unnecessary and will not result in a positive outcome," said Harvey Purse, Campaigner for the Australian Fair Trade & Investment Network (AFTINET), Some Pacific governments and civil society groups have asked for more time for consultation and studies to be done to assess the impact of a proposed free trade agreement on fragile Pacific Island economies.
"Minister Crean has said that, from Australia's point of view, Pacer Plus is about development, not trade. If so, it is important that this meeting set a realistic timetable. It needs to examine options that guarantee development of the Pacific Island economies, build up their negotiating capacity and their economic capacity, and include options being put forward by Civil Society groups in the Pacific."
AFTINET supports the view of the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) that national consultations are the appropriate place to decide if, when, and how Pacific countries should enter negotiations for a new trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand. "For such consultations to be meaningful, stakeholders across all Pacific Island countries should be considering all possible options for a new trade agreement. If a new trade agreement is to have Pacific development at its heart, it would be unacceptable to present stakeholders with a model for PACER-Plus negotiations, predetermined by Australia and New Zealand," said Mr Purse.
"AFTINET calls on the Australian government to allow the Pacific Island Governments to set the timetable for PACER Plus, properly explore alternative agreement models, undertake consultations with their communities and build the necessary capacity to both negotiate and benefit economically from any agreement. Australia needs to deliver on the promise that this agreement is about development not just trade," concluded Mr Purse. AFTINET, 20/10/09.