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Report finds Trans Pacific Partnership bad for your health

03 March 2015
Pills - Photo: Creative Commons - E-magineart
Prominent health academics show that the Trans Pacific Partnership poses a risk to health in areas such as the provision of affordable medicines, tobacco, alcohol policies and nutritional labelling, reveals a report released last night in Australia.

“The TPP includes provisions that don’t just affect trade. They affect the way the government regulates public health”, said Michael Moore, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Health Association of Australia.

Judith Kiejda, Assistant General Secretary of the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association said in a press release issued overnight that:

“Increases in the cost of medicines – not only for individuals but also for our hospitals – will make disease prevention measures even more difficult, such as stemming the negative impacts of nicotine and alcohol. It is also likely to make it harder for people to choose healthier options when buying food.”

This report confirms Public Service International’s repeated warnings about the way trade agreements extend beyond simple trade matters and restrict government’s basic ability to provide quality public services and effectively regulate because of the way they prioritise the profits of foreign multinationals.

PSI’s Director of Policy, Daniel Bertossa said:

“Governments have been negotiating this deal in secret for years but they still haven’t told us what’s in it. This report shows that we cannot trust governments and foreign multinational to protect our health care and public services.

“At most, four of the 26 chapters in the TPP cover traditional trade matters. But it does contain the controversial Investor State Dispute Settlement clause that allowed Phillip Morris to sue the Australian Government for introducing legitimate anti-smoking public policy measures.” said Mr Bertossa.

“Governments must release the proposed text in full so people can see what is being agreed on their behalf.” he said.

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