Australian public meeting opposes treaties like the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (M.A.I.) (English)
Perth citizens demand fuller public participation and new approach to multilateral treaty process of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (D.F.A.T.)
The proposal of the Federal Government of Australia to support a new round of global investment negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (W.T.O.) was intensively discussed at a daylong public meeting held at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, at the weekend (June 26).
Debate was led by Ms Patricia Ranald (Public Sector Research Centre, University of New South Wales) and the secretary of the Western Australian Trades and Labor Council, Mr Tony Cooke.
| 39 ^ ^ < < Book CONTENTS 1-50 101-on Translate Links Events Books HOME Esperanto > > v v 41 |
| Translations in | Esperanta | Français | Deutsch | Italiano | Português | Español |
The speakers reviewed the purpose of the failed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (M.A.I.) which sought to dilute governmental power to regulate foreign investment and capital flows.
The M.A.I. was scrapped last year in a fury of worldwide public protest, but Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer has recently instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (D.F.A.T.) to pursue similar new negotiations through the W.T.O. November ministerial meeting in Seattle.
After six hours of consideration, the packed meeting called on the Australian Government to shun M.A.I.-type negotiations but rather "to support the development of an alternative and binding agreement on investments which democratically regulates international investments and promotes ecologically and socially sustainable global development".
Noting that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (D.F.A.T.) had declined to participate in the public meeting, the resolution also called for full, open public participation in this process.
Patricia Ranald informed the meeting that the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (U.N.C.H.R.) had already endorsed an alternative proposal with the object of enforcing prescribed responsibilities and placing the profit motive into a proper context of worldwide human needs.
The publication of a range of new Australian books on the subject was announced, and the audience resolved to support an informative regular newsletter to be commenced in July. / Ends.
Contacts:
Brian Jenkins 08 9246 3882,
jenks@iinet.net.au
Dion Giles 08 9335 7646,
dgiles@chem.murdoch.edu.au
Stop-M.A.I. WA Coalition: 42 Central Avenue, Beaconsfield, WA, 6062,
Australia.
DOC 40: Internet address (= URL):
http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/stopengl.htm
Translations with SYSTRAN® by courtesy of AltaVista™
Patricia Ranald is a Senior Research Fellow at the Public Sector Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; fax +61 2 9385 9246, e-mail P.Ranald@unsw.edu.au (Pat Ranald), tel +61 2 9385 9242. For an example of her style, in English, see: "What is the M.A.I?"
Qualifications: B.A. (Hons),University of Adelaide, 1974; M.A. (Politics), University of Adelaide, 1981; Master of Public Policy, (Graduate School of Business) University of Sydney, 1992.
She is the co-editor of a book in English, entitled Corporate power versus public interests which is due to be published in July 1999. Her co-editors are James Goodman and Professor Frank Stilwell. For more details about her work, in English, press: "Author Ranald and Cooke oppose the 20-year MAI 'handcuffs' on safety and environment."
SOME GOOD NEWS: Pelican, the student newspaper at the University of Western Australia, in the May 1999 issue has published an anti-MAI article by Tim Huggins on pages 24 and 25.
Useful links:
http://www.clic.net/~orbis/ami.htm
http://users.skynet.be/christophe.de.kimpe/Liens.htm
The webpage for the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting, to
be held in Seattle, U.S.A., from 30 November to 3 December 1999, is
at
http://www.wto.org/wto/minist/seatmin.htm
which has links to French and Spanish versions too.
The Agreement on Financial Services, of the World Trade Organisation (W.T.O.),
came into force on March 1, 1999:-
French
-- http://www.fin.gc.ca/gats/gats-f1.html
-- Accord de l'O.M.C. sur les Services Financiers, entré
en vigueur le 1er mars 1999.
English -- W.T.O. Agreement
on Financial Services, came into force on 1 March 1999.
Tagged on AOLPress/2.0 ™ 05 July 1999, URL changed from stopmai.htm 12 July 1999, last modified 06 June 2000, 11-12 Jan 2001, 01 Jun 01
| 39 ^ ^ < < Book CONTENTS 1-50 101-on Translate Links Events Books HOME Esperanto > > v v 41 |
| Translations in | Esperanto | French | German | Italian | Portuguese | Spanish |
The objective of this Website in English is: Social Justice
and Economic Freedom. En esperanta (Esperanto): Sociala
Justeco kaj Ekonomika Libereco. By courtesy
of AltaVista ™ --
En français (French): Justice sociale et liberté
économique. Auf deutsch (German): Sozialgerechtigkeit
und wirtschaftliche Unabhängigkeit. In italiano
(Italian): Giustizia sociale e libertà economica. Em
português (Portuguese): Justiça social e liberdade
econômica. En español (Spanish): Justicia
social y libertad económica.
Just World Campaign, 46 Cobine Way, Greenwood, (a Perth suburb), WA, 6024,
Australia. Tel +61 ( 8 ) 9343 9532, Mobile Cellphone 0408 054 319;
john.massam@multiline.com.au
DOC 40: Internet address
(= URL) =
http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/stopengl.htm
