Fed: Greens blast Labor over FTA

AAP General News (Australia)
08-02-2004
Fed: Greens blast Labor over FTA

CANBERRA, Aug 2 AAP - Labor had capitulated to Prime Minister John Howard and the White
House on the free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, the Australian Greens
said today.

Labor is expected to support the FTA after its representatives at a Senate inquiry
into the deal backed the agreement today ahead of the release of the committee's report.

Greens Leader Bob Brown said both the outcome and the process were rude and unforgivable.

"In today's orchestrated announcement, the Labor big guns have pulled the rug from
under tomorrow's caucus meeting and insulted proper Senate committee process," he said.

Senator Brown agreed with findings by the Labor MPs - committee chairman Peter Cook,
trade spokesman Stephen Conroy and frontbencher Kerry O'Brien - that the FTA may undermine
the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

He also reiterated committee concerns that the agreement could disadvantage Australian
agriculture by failing to adopt a most-favoured nation clause and may improperly service
the local creative arts industry.

An independent assessment by Australian National University academic Philippa Dee has
estimated the FTA will benefit the Australian economy by $53 million a year, but Senator
Brown says Australia should not sign up.

"Labor has essentially announced its capitulation to John Howard and the White House
today for $2.20-a-year per Australian in monetary gains," he later told reporters.

"It's put at risk our cultural integrity, our agricultural wellbeing and our Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme - and it says so.

"Yet the Cook-Conroy-O'Brien message to voters is that the best way to plug the holes
in the FTA is to vote Labor in as a guardian - this is the Labor Party that backflipped
on the PBS just last month."

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KEYWORD: TRADE US GREENS

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