The Australia-US Free Trade Agreement in the Media
October - December 2004
16 December, 2004, ABC Radio National: PM, "FTA provides lucrative procurement contracts for Australian businesses", Reporter: Michael Rowland
Australian businesses are preparing for an assault on the $200 billion US Government procurement market when the United States Free Trade Agreement takes effect in just over a fortnight. Read the full transcript here.
December 15, 2004, Sydney Morning Herald, "Bid to soften copyright law impact", By Sam Varghese
Regulations being drafted to soften the impact of the tough copyright laws, which were passed last week, are in their final stages and are set to be presented to the executive council tomorrow. The copyright laws are linked to the Australia-US free trade agreement and will enable people other than copyright owners to force internet service providers to take down material allegedly infringing copyright. Read the full text here.
December 8, 2004, ABC Rural News, "Opposition claims US FTA threatens wheat single desk"
The Federal Opposition claims the Government has sold out grain growers in the US free trade agreement, which leaves the wheat industry's single desk open to negotiation. The single desk held by AWB Limited gives it a monopoly on bulk exports of wheat from Australia. And Labor claims the Federal Agriculture Minister has admitted to state governments, he expects a 'difficult debate' over its future. Read the full text here.
December 7, 2004, AAP, "FTA clears tech hurdle"
Tougher copyright laws linked to the Australia-US free trade agreement (FTA) were passed by parliament tonight. The bill, which passed the Senate tonight, will enable people other than copyright owners to force internet service providers to take down material allegedly infringing copyright. Read the full text here.
December 7, 2004, The Australian, "ISPs irate over FTA changes", Karen Dearne
Internet service providers are furious about "last-minute changes" designed to appease US concerns over online copyright infringement and seal the start of the Free Trade Agreement on January 1. The Internet Industry Association claims the changes make possession of pirated material a criminal offence, with ISPs legally liable for infringing material that crosses their networks. Read the full text here.
December 07, 2004, The Australian, "Net giants seek to change FTA", By James Riley
Australia's largest internet service providers have made an 11th-hour bid to amend the free trade agreement with the US, claiming it would expose them to an avalanche of litigation. Telstra and Optus met senior government ministers yesterday to tell them the legislation was flawed and would hurt the internet industry and users. They claim the FTA legislation involves stricter copyright standards that could force internet companies to shut down alleged offending websites without proof or notice. Read the full text here.
December 4, 2004, Sydney Morning Herald, "Hunt for pay TV pirates in trade pact", By Matt Wade
The US Government is pressuring Australia to make people who "pirate" access to pay TV subject to criminal sanctions under the US free trade agreement. Letters exchanged last month by the Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, and his US counterpart, Robert Zoellick, made public yesterday, also revealed that the US believed Australian laws aimed at keeping a lid on prescription medicine prices breached the agreement. Read the full text here.
December 3, 2004, AAP, "US baulks at cheap drugs in FTA"
The United States has warned Australia may face a legal challenge to laws aimed at keeping a lid on the prices of prescription drugs under the free trade agreement (FTA). In letters exchanged between Trade Minister Mark Vaile and his US counterpart Robert Zoellick, made public today, it is clear the US still believes the laws breach the FTA. Read the full text here.
Summer 2004-5, Policy Vol 2, No 4, "Locked in: Australia Gets a Bad Intellectual Property Deal", By Kimberlee Weatherall
The intellectual property provisions of the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement are an unfortunate policy shift. Read the full text here.
November 30, 2004, The Australian, Take-down notices set to bite", By Karen Dearne
Internet service providers will retain access to local "safe harbour" rules that limit liability for customer breaches of copyright under new laws designed to seal the Free Trade Agreement with the US. But, in exchange, ISPs will face the sometime bully-boy tactics of rights holders as the controversial US take-down notice regime is extended to Australia. Read the full text here.
November 26, 2004, Sydney Morning Herald, Patently yours", By Sam Varghese
The US-Australia free trade agreement which comes into effect in 2005 will hit Australia hardest in the area of intellectual property rights, according to three academics who have authored a book detailing the specifics of the agreement. In this interview, they expanded on some of the themes covered in the book. Read the full text here.
November 24, 2004, Australian Financial Review, "Hard to get a fair deal with the US", By Sean Aylmer
Jim Stanford, chief economist at the Canadian Auto Workers Union, has a warning for all those Australian companies hoping to make millions of dollars from the free-trade deal with the United States. "Our experience with the US is that they preach the language of free trade but they are only interested in looking after their own corporate interests," he says. Read the full text here.
November 23, 2004, AAP, "FTA to allow generic drug veto: report
The federal government has reportedly promised the US pharmaceutical industry that US drug companies will be able to take legal action to keep some generic medicines out of Australia. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) issued a statement saying it appreciated that US negotiators "sought and received a clarification by Australia that patent-holders will be assured of adequate opportunity to seek injunctive relief against patent infringers, before infringing products are put on the market in Australia". Read the full text here.
November 22, 2004, Sydney Morning Herald, "Labor, and we, will live to regret US trade deal" By Ross Gittins
Labor's bitterest memory from its wasted third term in Opposition should be its failure to do its job and block the appalling free-trade agreement with the US. None of the Labor members who sat on the Senate inquiry into the FTA could have been left in any doubt about what a bad deal it is and yet they didn't have the courage to stand against it. Read the full text here.
November 22, 2004, The Age, "US legal threat on drugs deal", By Mark Forbes
The United States has vowed to launch legal action if necessary to prevent Australia restricting access of US drug companies under its new free trade agreement. US ambassador Tom Schieffer yesterday welcomed the agreement being finalised, but said his nation reserved the right to take Australia to the World Trade Organisation if guarantees of keeping drug prices low impeded US firms. Read the full text here.
November 19, 2004, The Age, "Minor changes clinch US trade deal", By Michael Gordon
Australia's free trade agreement with the United States will come into force on January 1 as planned and without more serious amendments. Making the breakthrough announcement yesterday, Trade Minister Mark Vaile declared more deals were on the way with South-East and North Asia. Read the full text here.
November 18, 2004, ABC News, "Aust, US seal trade deal"
Australia and the United States have ironed out the last of their differences over the free trade deal (FTA) and agreed it should come into force on January 1 next year. Agreement was reached when Trade Minister Mark Vaile met his American counter-part overnight in Chile, the venue for this year's APEC forum. Read the full text here.
November 16, 2004, Australian Financial Review, "US forces FTA change to copyright", by Mark Davis
The federal government has bowed to pressure from the US to toughen Australian copyright law as part of the free-trade agreement between the two countries. Cabinet decided yesterday to introduce a series of changes to the Copyright Act in the next sitting of parliament that begins today, reflecting US concerns that Canberra's original legislation to implement the FTA did not fully honour Australia's undertakings on the issue. Read the full text here.
November 15, 2004, Australian, "US free trade deal looms close", by Steve Lewis and Dennis Shanahan
AUSTRALIA has resisted a last-minute push by the US and powerful drug manufacturers to water down the free trade agreement, with the countries finally expected to endorse the bilateral pact within days. But the Howard Government is expected to agree to minor "technical" amendments to ensure piracy laws are adequate under the new copyright regime. Read the full text here.
October 28, 2004, AAP, "PBS holds up free trade deal"
Australia may not meet a deadline this Sunday in the finalisation of the US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with continuing disagreement about Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Trade Minister Mark Vaile said today. Mr Vaile said the government was holding discussions with the US over both Labor's FTA amendment on generic drugs and on concerns the US pharmaceuticals industry had over the Coalition's election promise to cut the drug prices when cheaper generic versions hit the market. Read the full text here.
October 28, 2004, ABC Radio National: AM, "FTA stalled over pharmaceuticals and copyright", Reporter: Alexandra Kirk
The Federal Government looks set to miss a key target for implementing Australia's Free Trade Deal with the United States because of continuing disagreements over pharmaceuticals and intellectual property. Read the full transcript here.
October 22, 2004, AAP, "FTA amendments may be needed"
Prime Minister John Howard today left open possible amendments to the government's United States free-trade legislation because of concern from American pharmaceutical companies. Mr Howard said any changes would be due because Labor had played politics with the free-trade agreement when it passed through the parliament earlier this year. Read the full text here.
October 21, 2004, The Age, "Can we please get serious?", By Kenneth Davidson
The Howard Government's decision to sign the free trade agreement with the US will have far more long-term repercussions for Australian society, its institutions and its economy than anything arising from the recent election. Yet the FTA hardly rated a mention during the campaign. Read the full text here.
October 21, 2004, Dow Newswire, "Drug companies want FTA changes removed"
A group representing major international drug manufacturers on Thursday urged the federal government to make changes to the US free trade agreement, claiming many companies were considering ending research and development in Australia. The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA) is believed to be most at odds with the Australian parliament's amendment preventing drug companies from taking out repeated patents on their products to stop competition from cheaper generic brands. Read the full text here.
October 21, 2004, ABC Radio National: AM, "Drug companies warn Govt over FTA amendments", Reporter: Hamish Fitzsimmons
A group representing major international drug manufacturers says unless the Australian Government changes the amendments to the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, many companies will consider ending research and development in Australia. Read the full text here.
October 15, 2004, Australian, "Drug lobby once more on to the 'breach'", By Katharine Murphy and Sid Maher
US drug companies have intensified efforts to win last-minute concessions from the Howard Government on the free trade deal, lobbying Congress with legal advice claiming Australia has breached international trade rules. The Australian has obtained legal advice prepared for the US pharmaceutical industry by respected Washington trade-law firm Sidley Austin Brown and Wood, which claims ALP amendments designed to protect generic drug manufacturers breach World Trade Organisation rules. Read the full text here.
October 15, 2004, ABC Radio National: PM, "Free trade advocate says relations with Congress have soured", Reporter: Michael Vincent
A senior trade advocate has warned that even if the Australian free trade agreement with the US does proceed unaltered, damage has been done to our relations with the Congress. Director of ITS Global, Alan Oxley, says there's ill-will towards Australia in the US Congress over fall out from Australia's enabling legislation of the FTA, because they perceive that we've "fiddled with it" after it was finalised. Read the full text here.
October 13, 2004, The Age, "US doubts over trade deal emerge", By Tony Parkinson
Labor's amendments to the free trade agreement with the United States have cast doubts over whether the deal could come into effect by the agreed January 1 target date, the US ambassador to Australia has warned. "We have a problem," Tom Schieffer told The Age yesterday. Read the full text here.
October 13, 2004, Australian, "US stuck on ALP's trade deal changes", By Gosia Kaszubska and Sid Maher
Labor's changes to the free trade agreement with the US remain an unresolved problem with only two weeks left to ensure the deal starts on January 1. US ambassador Tom Schieffer said he doubted the deal would come to life on New Year's Day, as expected, after the ALP pushed through amendments to protect generic drugs by changing patent laws. Read the full text here.
October 12, 2004, ABC Radio National: PM, "Labor FTA amendments in jeopardy", Reporter: Michael Rowland
Remember the political row over the free trade agreement back in August, when the Prime Minister yielded to Labor pressure and brought in amendments to the FTA? Well, now those amendments forced by Labor are themselves in jeopardy. The United States says lingering differences may prevent the FTA taking effect as scheduled on the first of January next year. Read the full text here.
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