Australia’s union movement has set itself on a collision course with the federal Labor party, calling for a rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement which Labor supports in principle. The Australian Council of Trade Unions appeared before the joint standing committee on treaties on Monday, which is reviewing the TPP. She said the ACTU did not support the deal, just like it did not support the China-Australia free-trade deal. “Labor recognises the potential benefits for Australia from the TPP, including increased market access for our goods and services,” he told Guardian Australia. “[But] Labor has insisted that no element of the TPP should affect the cost and availability of medicines for Australians.

Source: The Guardian October 17, 2016 07:30 UTC