Over riding and underlying all American Free Trade agreements are the taxpayer funded
profit guarantees for investors that legally bind (both locally and internationally) the recipient country.

In recent worst cases of the effects of these inbuilt profit guarantees in Mexico: a group of investors were awarded $17m payable for loss against their expected profits. The project was a failed toxic waste dump. In order that the locals could clean up the mess compensation had to be paid to the investors under the commercial considerations of their FTA.

In Canada threats of compensation via their AFTA from tobacco companies were used to discourage the Canadian Gov't from legislating for plain packaging on tobacco products as is now the case most likely here.

The pharmaceutical giants could claim that the pharmaceutical benefits scheme here in our country is restrictive of their profits and contrary to their interests under our FTA?.

If you said there was an upside in that Australian products would have access to the U.S market via the FTA, that is now not likely to happen because the congress has a new mix of tea party nationalistic protectionists( in trade terms ) and other republicans elected as a majority.
There is now little chance of any change to the protectionist trade policies in the U.S.

And with our dollar at parity or higher little chance of relief for producers of anything Australian that export to make a dent in the U.S market anyway.

Was having an American Free Trade Agreement a mistake for Australia. Only time will tell?, or will we know sooner than that?.

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201011/s3066983.htm

This is all I have Thinker, I heard another broadcast on National Radio which I can’t find which mentioned similar things as your post.

I felt worried; I felt something was very wrong with this new agreement. But I will sit back and hopefully learn some more.

The one I listened to described the American manufacturers as “furious” that a previous agreement had been agreed to which didn’t deliver what they normally get. This appears to be embassy status inside other countries for their factories and businesses.

This issue goes hand in hand with issues of national sovereignty in regard to governments (elected by the people, not foreign interests) to legislate on behalf of its people any policy/law that can be overturned due to the free trade interests of another country.

See an earlier thread in regard to labelling and other restrictions where the US has sued or threatened to sue countries based on differences in labelling laws or anti-smoking Ads perceived as detrimental to maximising profit overseas.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=3737&page=0#91023

It is laudable that those that argue loudest for free market policies to then make safety clauses like profit guarantees to the detriment of citizens of the 'host' nation.

Free trade is a myth both from an aspect of 'purity' and sweeping claims of improving the lot of the developing world. Trade is not the problem, countries have always traded, but they have respected sovereignty. FT should not come at any cost nor at the expense of consumers or other values or bullying other nations into submission.

FTs that do not respect the hard fought policies of other countries will mean a whole new era of disadvantage not only in respect to profit guarantees, but labelling laws, health and biosecurity etal.

Private investor guarantees reek of the privatising profit/socialising debt mentality. Who decides when the guarantee payout applies? Could a foreign investor argue for example, that anti-smoking Ads reduce their ability to maximise profit so the guarentee comes into play despite the fact a company invests with full knowledge. Will changes to company tax open the litigation floodgates?

If we are silly enough to go down this path, there should be some very strong caveats. Unfortunately litigation experiences show that even caveats can be useless. It is too ridiculous to contemplate, particularly for Australia where we are unlikely to be taken over by military coup.

The US is not going to make itself any more popular on the diplomatic stage by standing gunshot over other nations in an attempt to fix their own economic woes.

we have all been nailed..[i was going to write screwed]..by this con-cept of freetrade..so let me un-leash my tirade

the biggest affect...is that of copyrights...slipped into the AGREEMENT..are much that ensure rights..for coorperations..*over that of the people..[and some nice cushy job's for the boys]

we cant watch many youtube clips..[and formely accesable music sites..because of the rights accorded to coorperations..holding their EXTENDED..copy right..[over our music..writing...and artistic creativity]

we are bound to support...crinminal activity ...licenced under the cover of free-trade..[via contract law..that over-rides civil and criminal law]...

much of the shenanigans..re water/electric/and other services..is all facilitated..by those...*not having to build nothing...yet able to charge us..the fair market price[globally]..or any other mandated prices the boards chose to set

this is from the same lot..that brought us enron..[pricing]
and so much mor in other scams..such as paid education...and outstanding debt repayments...asured levels of pricing for patent medicine..and many other little cons...all designed to feed-off the fatted calf[us]

in time we will be peons..in our..[their]..own...fiefdom
by a govt that polices morals..and obediance
inlue/of..serving its people

I too heard that broadcast TPP and also, I could not find it.?

The Microsoft boffin on the early ABC news program this morning absolutely advocated the NBN saying that business would not have to invest this magnificent infrastructure, and so therefore would obviously invest in using it.

Virginia Trioli kept trying to focus on the negative perception
of ownership by the people and was lambasted and lampooned
by the boffin more than once.

The link I'm making here is that our future lies with not having to consider the profit guarantee's of oversea's business partner/investors and FTA's and business perks etc are hardly important or the solution to a future in a smart country. The Media is enjoying beating up anything that reduces the freedom of the people to invest in this future, for some unknown reason as portrayed by Trioli's smug and superior grin, as she received a pasting from the person she was interviewing and persisted with her waste of money angle.On the A.B.C.!.

Having our own control over our own infrastructure such as the internet is essential if we are to have a free future as we understand it now.

The Microsoft Guy compared it to roads, trains, phones, even sewers, "would you expect business to build these type of essential services and charge per poop, and still consider this progress", he said in effect.

I thank you for your link TPP but I wish I could find the interview on radio national, to post as a link . Convincing, wasn't it.

Free trade agreements are of course extremely important, especially
to a small country like Australia, which is not part of the EU, US,
or any Asian trade block.

In the past, Australian officials have not been the brightest,
when it came to negotiating trade deals. For instance, NZ has the
right to ship around 250 thousand tonnes of lamb and mutton to the
EU, Australia a mere 16 thousand tonnes.

Now this might not matter to most of you, who don't live in the
real world of global trade and competition, but it certainly matters
to our exporters, who after all, pay our bills to the rest of the
world.

With all this in mind, this is why Howard pushed so hard for a free
trade deal with the US. It mattered to competive Australian
export industries, if not to the rest of you, who don't earn a
living through trade. I remind you, you still rely on it for
your well being, aware of it or not.

Free trade deals really come down to what is negotiated. I have no
idea if our officials were smart or not, when they did the US deal.
There certainly was a lot of pushing and shoving going on.

There have certainly been results. Today the US is the largest
and most profitable market for lamb producers like me, with New
York diners enjoying our racks of lamb, US households being able
to buy Aussie lamb chops or roasts. Its a welcome change from the
dark days, when Australian lamb was largely locked out of the US
market.