Global Trade Watch

The Australia-US Free Trade Agreement in the Media

- 2007 -

17 September 2007, New Matilda, "Free Trade: The Outbreak We Had to Have", By Linda Weiss, Elizabeth Thurbon and John Mathews

Australians reeled in shock last month as an outbreak of equine influenza spread to over 119 properties in NSW and more in Queensland. But the weakening of quarantine standards has been the hallmark of the Howard Government. Since the signing of the Free Trade Agreement with the USA in May 2004, the Government has shifted from a ‘risk prevention’ to ‘risk management’ approach - weakening standards in a host of industries. More...

July 22, 2007, "Discontent Down Under", Shipping Digest, by Alan M. Field

US officials say free-trade pact has been a great success, but Australians are unhappy. More...

June 13, 2007, The Age, "A dubious and secret influence on our public health policy", By Thomas Faunce

Australians have a natural dislike of faceless people making major government policy decisions. Such activity seems to run counter to core principles about how a democracy should operate. Yet, this is what appears to have happened with the Medicines Working Group, established under the free trade agreement between Australia and the United States. More...

2 May 2007, "Aussie anger over trade agreement", MeatNews.com

Australian beef producers have hit out at the government for allowing a loss of trade because of a free-trade agreement between the United States and Australia. Now they have called for a review of the US-Australia FTA. More...

12 March 2007, "US-Australia Free Trade Agreement", ABC Radio National: Counterpoint

Twenty months after the free trade agreement with the United States was signed, what have been the outcomes for Australia? Professor John Mathews from the graduate school of management at Macquarie University provides an update. More...

26 February 2007, "US Alliance a distinct liability for Australia" Online Opinion, By Klaas Woldring

Australian Governments and the Australian public should finally wake up to the fact that the US Alliance is not just of no value to Australia but, worse, has become a distinct liability. A foreign policy based on a position of strict neutrality would be a vastly superior option for Australia. More...

10 February 2007, "US hopes to tap blood processing work in vein", Australian Financial Review, By John Breusch

In May 2004, as part of the free-trade agreement struck with the US, then trade minister Mark Vaile wrote to American trade representative Robert Zoellick committing Australia to conduct a review of its blood fractionation services and pledging to recommend to the states that CSL's monopoly should be opened up to foreign tender. But the review, completed last year by former Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Philip Flood, put the kybosh on the idea. More...

9 February 2007, "States line up against open blood supply", Australian Financial Review, By John Breusch

A majority of state governments has rejected a federal government request to allow foreign companies to compete against sharemarket-listed CSL to supply blood plasma products to Australia. The states' resistance threatens to spark a trade row with the United States, which, through a free trade agreement with Australia, has pushed for its companies to be given access to the local blood fractionation market. More...

8 February 2007, "Blood feud with US brewing", Australian Financial Review, By John Breusch and Tracy Sutherland

A trade row is brewing with the United States after state governments indicated they would reject plans to scrap the monopoly over Australian blood plasma supplies held by the sharemarket-listed CSL. The states' resistance poses one of the first tests to the US Free Trade Agreement, under which the commonwealth committed to review its blood fractionation service and recommend to state governments that future supplies should be opened up to tender. More...

7 February 2007, "States back plasma status quo", Australian Financial Review, By John Breusch

The states are set to reject a federal government request to allow overseas companies to compete for CSL's monopoly on supplying blood plasma products to the Australian market. Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott announced in December that the commonwealth would comply with its obligations under the US free-trade agreement by proposing to open up the blood fractionation service to tender. More...

3 February 2007, "Prolonged drought hits trade deficit", The Australian, By Scott Murdoch

The drought has tightened its grip on the Australian economy with a deterioration in exports causing a rise in the trade deficit. Labor's trade spokesman, Simon Crean, said the numbers showed the Australia-US free trade agreement was not benefiting domestic producers. More...

19 January 2007, "FTA threatens blood donor system", The Australian, By James Harrison

As a blood donor, I have had the good fortune to help thousands of women maintain healthy pregnancies through transfusions of the Anti-D blood product made from my blood plasma. Anti-D is given to about one in 10 pregnant women, whose blood is incompatible with their unborn baby's, to prevent rhesus disease. But I am very concerned about a threat that has arisen because of the federal Government's review of our blood management system as part of the free trade agreement with the US. More...

15 January 2007, "USFTA begins to reap results", Australian Financial Review, By Tracy Sutherland

While Australia's trade deficit with the US is growing, the free-trade agreement is proving to be a powerful asset for Australian companies making deals in the United States. More...

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