Review of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) and the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA)

Australian Council of Trade Unions Submission to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The ACTU supports fair trade as a vehicle for economic growth, job creation, tackling inequality and raising living standards. The most important objective of trade policy should be to deliver benefits to workers, the community and the economy by increasing opportunities for local businesses, creating quality local jobs, and protecting public services. The benefits of trade must be shared among our community and promote equitable development abroad.

We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) General Review of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) and the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA).

China and Indonesia being key trade partners for Australia, these agreements have a significant impact on our economy. It is imperative that they align with a fair and just trade policy and uphold the interests of working people.

Currently, both ChAFTA and IA-CEPA contain provisions that prioritise profit over human rights. These provisions expand and entrench temporary labour mobility pathways and grant extensive rights to foreign investors through Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, undermining the rights and protections of workers and constraining the Australian Government’s ability to regulate in the public interest.

The ACTU calls on the Australian Government to uphold the commitments to trade policies consistent with Australian values of justice and equality, community views, workers’ rights and the interests of developing countries in all existing and future trade agreements. 

…