After front-running Democratic candidate for the next Presidency, Hillary Clinton, over the weekend toughened her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, thereby stiffening opposition amongst Democrats in the House of Representatives, Australian Trade Minister, Andrew Robb, has finally conceded that negotiations for the TPP are at risk of collapse. From ABC Radio:
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: Last time we spoke you were hopeful that an agreement would be reached on the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but the US government has knocked the fast track mechanism out. Will that derail the hopes for the TPP for the moment?
ANDREW ROBB: Look, it’s getting… it’s getting quite problematic in the United States. We are literally one week of negotiation away from completing this extraordinary deal and across 12 countries and 40 per cent of the world’s GDP.
But the US Congress – as it has sometimes before – caused a problem. You can see the political heat’s rising by the day over there because of the presidential election next year. So I don’t think anyone can call it.
But if it’s not, if it’s not dealt with in the next two or three weeks I think it’s, we’ve got a real problem with the future of the TPP.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: So you don’t sound very confident, then.
ANDREW ROBB: I think a lot of people felt very comforted by the fact it got through the Senate, which was seen to be the difficult passage.
But now it’s before the House, it’s facing a number of barriers and I don’t think anyone really knows where it’s going to finish up.
Thank you House Democrats for doing what the Abbott Government has been too gutless to do: walking away from a deal that would enrich powerful US pharmaceutical and digital industries at the expense of consumers.
