US's 'Free Trade Agreement' with Australia

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2004-02-11 07:43pm

What does everyone think/know about this? Particularly Americans and Australians, how's it being represented in the media where you are? How do you think you'll be affected, if at all? Who got the better deal? *wry grin*

Here is BrisVEGAS the media is wholly positive (except the 7:30 Report

) and the government is practising the lamest campaign of Not Answering The Question ever. However, my (incomplete) information suggests that my adopted nation is now in the getting fucked in the ass by the US business, since they get all their concessions here, now, and AU doesn't get many of theirs for several years.

BTW, what do people know about this thingy's nature as an 'agreement' and not a law? It seems to not need ratifying by the other house?

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2004-02-11 07:45pm

..............

The US has a Trade Agreement with Austrailia?!?!?!

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2004-02-11 08:05pm

who-what? You don't know? Christ eh, I guess that answers my question bout what the rest of the world thinks

Ironically, its a 'Free Trade' agreement, that they've been negotiating for ages. I always figured you had free trade, or you had controls... but ah well!

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-02-11 08:50pm

As an American, I would support that.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2004-02-11 09:02pm

I've heard from a few Australians that they feel their government got pasted on most of the issues, so I assume we got the better deal.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2004-02-11 09:18pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote:I've heard from a few Australians that they feel their government got pasted on most of the issues, so I assume we got the better deal.

Nah, I think we(Australia) might drive your sugar cane industry into the ground via a superior cheaper producted.

But otherwise, yes you are getting the better end of the deal.

And the copyright laws & patent laws that will get imported suck.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-02-11 09:24pm

ggs wrote:
The Duchess of Zeon wrote:I've heard from a few Australians that they feel their government got pasted on most of the issues, so I assume we got the better deal.
Nah, I think we(Australia) might drive your sugar cane industry into the ground via a superior cheaper producted.

But otherwise, yes you are getting the better end of the deal.

And the copyright laws & patent laws that will get imported suck.

Over the ditch..we have been following this with interest..It will be interesting to see how quickly

a.} you loose control of your economy
or
b.}it actually is free trade {I dont know if fair is going to have much to do with it}.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2004-02-11 09:56pm

Stuart Mackey wrote:
ggs wrote:
The Duchess of Zeon wrote:I've heard from a few Australians that they feel their government got pasted on most of the issues, so I assume we got the better deal.
Nah, I think we(Australia) might drive your sugar cane industry into the ground via a superior cheaper producted.

But otherwise, yes you are getting the better end of the deal.

And the copyright laws & patent laws that will get imported suck.
Over the ditch..we have been following this with interest..It will be interesting to see how quickly

a.} you loose control of your economy
or
b.}it actually is free trade {I dont know if fair is going to have much to do with it}.

Well (you lucky kiwi you) the only good parts, like the primary industry stuff, doesn't seem to take effect for up to several years, (like one clause is for 18, beef i think) and yet all the US crap (like no multi-region DVDs, even tho the ACCC found zoning to be anti-competitive) takes effect immediately.

To be quite honest, I have recently decided to become a staunch supporter of the monarchy... looking at the way things are going with the US.

Even Dirty John admits he expected better. Why???? The US has never done anything for AU. AUs never done anything for itself, either

Also, laws restricting forgein ownership of business here are repealed, so we'll all be shopping at wal-mart soon (which may well be an improvement). It must be great to be the US, to screw over its allies in this way, and have them smile and tell their people that its a good idea!

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-02-11 10:02pm

linky

Highlights of the US-Australia free trade agreement announced in Washington after two weeks of top-level talks.

For Australia :

Immediate access to US market for almost all manufactured goods and services exports

Improved access for agricultural sector including beef and dairy producers

Full access to Australian goods and services in US government procurement

Protections for Australian health services and environment

The right to ensure local content in Australian broadcasting retained

Duty free access to metal and mineral exports

Immediate removal on tariff on canned tuna, worth $US20 million ($A26.3 million) dollars a year

Zero tariffs for wheat and cereal flour and within four years for some fruit

For the United States :

99 per cent of US manufactured exports to Australia immediately duty free

Benefits for US chemicals, auto, plastics and infotech sectors

All agricultural exports to Australia, worth $US400 million ($A526.3 million), to go duty free

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Australia to open service access, including telecom, express delivery and computers

Australia to adjust Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme

US contractors to get access to Australian government procurement

Source: US Trade Representative's Office and Australian Trade Minister's Office

- AFP

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-02-11 10:05pm

It doesn't go far enough; we're still giving the Aussies the shaft in a few industries, chiefly sugar, but it's a good place to start. I support it 100 percent.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-02-11 10:06pm

Stark wrote:
Well (you lucky kiwi you) the only good parts, like the primary industry stuff, doesn't seem to take effect for up to several years, (like one clause is for 18, beef i think) and yet all the US crap (like no multi-region DVDs, even tho the ACCC found zoning to be anti-competitive) takes effect immediately.

To be quite honest, I have recently decided to become a staunch supporter of the monarchy... looking at the way things are going with the US.

Even Dirty John admits he expected better. Why???? The US has never done anything for AU. AUs never done anything for itself, either

Also, laws restricting forgein ownership of business here are repealed, so we'll all be shopping at wal-mart soon (which may well be an improvement). It must be great to be the US, to screw over its allies in this way, and have them smile and tell their people that its a good idea!

Well, I hope your ACCC chaps stick to their guns on the DVD player issue etc.
Otherwise, just looking at it, its freerer for America than Aussie in terms of delivered benifits.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2004-02-11 10:12pm

AFAIK by 'adjust' the PBS they mean 'make PBS go away now'.

Has the text of the agreement been released yet?

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-02-11 10:13pm

Stark wrote:AFAIK by 'adjust' the PBS they mean 'make PBS go away now'.

Has the text of the agreement been released yet?

Havent seen it..am looking for it however.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2004-02-11 10:19pm

Wait, go back to the part where we have a sugar cane economy. Where? Hawaii?

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2004-02-12 01:11am

The DVD's themselves don't bother me, the ACCC has ruled that regionless DVD Players are completely legal and can be freely sold inside Australia!

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-02-12 01:15am

HemlockGrey wrote:Wait, go back to the part where we have a sugar cane economy. Where? Hawaii?

Whatever their size, they were able to effectively pressure our politicians into excluding them from the free trade deal. Sugar's always been politically connected, in any case.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-02-12 01:34am

Crown wrote:The DVD's themselves don't bother me, the ACCC has ruled that regionless DVD Players are completely legal and can be freely sold inside Australia!

um yeah..thats what I meant.
It will be fun when these regioned players come in and the ACCC takes the makers to court for being anticompetitive

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2004-02-12 01:42am

Stuart Mackey wrote:
Crown wrote:The DVD's themselves don't bother me, the ACCC has ruled that regionless DVD Players are completely legal and can be freely sold inside Australia!
um yeah..thats what I meant.
It will be fun when these regioned players come in and the ACCC takes the makers to court for being anticompetitive

I don't think the ACCC can do that, I think that they insist that those DVD players are clearly labelled as regioned and the stores would no doubt hide them behind the regionless ones anyway

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-02-12 01:45am

Crown wrote:
Stuart Mackey wrote:
Crown wrote:The DVD's themselves don't bother me, the ACCC has ruled that regionless DVD Players are completely legal and can be freely sold inside Australia!
um yeah..thats what I meant.
It will be fun when these regioned players come in and the ACCC takes the makers to court for being anticompetitive
I don't think the ACCC can do that, I think that they insist that those DVD players are clearly labelled as regioned and the stores would no doubt hide them behind the regionless ones anyway

Lol..given the law, let the market decide

which reminds me..I must find out what the law says on this issue over here in NZ.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2004-02-12 02:32am

You have to wonder if people would even check to see if it's region free though.

Stuart Mackey · Post by **Stuart Mackey** » 2004-02-12 03:01am

neoolong wrote:You have to wonder if people would even check to see if it's region free though.

Well, just checked, and in NZ its illegal to have regioned players..so I am lucky....

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-02-12 11:18am

Stark wrote: Also, laws restricting forgein ownership of business here are repealed, so we'll all be shopping at wal-mart soon (which may well be an improvement). It must be great to be the US, to screw over its allies in this way, and have them smile and tell their people that its a good idea!

I think the US has or had some laws limiting foreign ownership of mass media outlets. The government bent over for Rupert Murdock on that one. So we kind of owe you for letting him loose.

I try to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart as much as possible. It's not that they have bad stuff or that they don't generally have great prices. I've just never had a good experience there. It's like a black hole that concentrates rude white trash in one place where they can swarm around looking for the next big deal as they run you over with their shopping carts.

I also don't like Wal-Mart the corporation. They will milk whatever tax benefits they can get and then when those dry up and they've already killed the other businesses in the area they'll move to someplace nearby where the next big sucker is cutting them a break.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2004-02-12 11:50pm

HemlockGrey wrote:Wait, go back to the part where we have a sugar cane economy. Where? Hawaii?

Here, in Florida.

The Cane Farmers own the State; there had to be fighting tooth and nail to tell them, "No, you can't drain the entire Everglades and assfuck the general southern Florida biosphere to grow some more sugar."