Australia should support the US abandonment of the TPP

The primary goal of “free trade” agreements is the promotion of rent-seeking by entrenching monopoly rights. Elizabeth Thurbon (University of NSW) and Linda Weiss (University of Sydney) explain that this is why the United States should abandon the TPP – and why Australia should support its abandonment.

China will be the winner if US backs out of the TPP

Nicholas Ross Smith (University of Auckland) writes that, if Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump make good on their pledge to torpedo the Trans-Pacific Partnership if elected, the United States will not only miss an opportunity to consolidate its position in Asia-Pacific, it will also allow China to emerge as the uncontested trade power there.

What’s really at stake if the China FTA falls through

This is an insightful analysis from Peter Dixon and Maureen Rimmer (University of Victoria) from The Conversation, explaining that using the Government's own analysis the free trade agreement with China is expected to produce very modest economic benefits for Australia, and will likely only be noticeable in a few agricultural and downstream industries. Readers might also be interested in Peter Martin's analysis in The Sydney Morning Herald on how the apparent chasm between the Government and Opposition over labour provision might be resolved with a minor legislative amendment.