Australia’s new shadow trade minister, Jason Clare, and his Labor Party representing the opposition in the Australian Senate are facing pressure to come out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a move that could effectively stymie the TPP ratification process in Australia.
[Daily News | August 18, 2016 | Inside US Trade]
The governing Liberal Party, which secured 30 of 76 total seats in the Senate, is dependent on the Labor Party’s support if it wants TPP implementing legislation to pass the country’s upper house, sources said. As the only opposition party in the Senate that has not yet taken an official stance on the deal, Labor has become the target of anti-TPP lobbying efforts. The Liberal Party, which concluded the TPP deal, maintained its majority in the House of Representatives.
Australia’s Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET) this month launched a lobbying campaign urging Clare to come out against the agreement, including a petition outlining what it sees as fundamental problems with the deal.
