17 November 2014

Government must release text of South Korea trade deal immediately

The Government should immediately release the text of the free-trade agreement (FTA) signed with South Korea, said the Green Party.

Over the weekend, New Zealand and South Korea concluded a free-trade agreement. The deal was announced at the side-lines G20 Leader’s Summit in Brisbane.

“The public has a right to know the content of trade agreements signed on their behalf,” said Green Party trade spokesperson James Shaw.

“In particular we need to know if any controversial investor state dispute provisions are in the agreement.

"The Government repeatedly claims public concerns about these agreements are misplaced and based on misinformation.

"But the Government itself is contributing to these concerns by negotiating in secret and apparently now won't even release the text after it's been agreed to.

"Previous governments have kept the public onside by consulting with businesses, unions and non-governmental organisations during negotiations of other agreements such as the China FTA.

“There is no legitimate reason to withhold the text; it looks like an abuse of power to do so.

“The public has a right to know what the Government is signing us up to. On the facts released to date, the agreement looks weak. For example, by the Prime Minister's own admission, there is nothing in this deal for milk powder.

“The Green Party supports trade agreements that encourage fair trade, not just free trade. But if the texts of the agreement are not released, we will never know what New Zealanders are getting into until it is all done and dusted,” said Mr Shaw.

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