The Greens said tariff abolition on manufactured goods would cost thousands of Australian jobs while many farmers would be saddled with US tariffs for a generation or more. Quarantine standards would be downgraded, Americans would be able to circumvent investment rules and American drug companies would get the opportunity to override the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that provides cheap drugs to Australians, the Greens said.
Howard has affected a retroactive tough-negotiator stance, saying that he was on the verge of telling the Americans where to stick their FTA. Meanwhile, Latham has said that Labor may block the FTA in the Senate. Which probably won't happen, leaving the Greens as the voice in the wilderness yet again.
Not to mention DVD regions.
Given that it's intended to help corporations (not us, the microorganisms in their guts), chances are it won't abolish DVD region coding or move Australia into Region 1. Though it may criminalise the sale of multi-region DVD players under paracopyright laws.
Hopefully we'll soon have a list of marginal seats where we can target Labor MP's and let them know they might want to stand up if they want a vote. More info also www.aftinet.org.au and on kerry nettle's website www.kerrynettle.org.au...
Adopting US extended copyright laws is a disaster (although your fair use comment is interesting) but I'm more interested in whether or not the existing two music markets will continue to exist, where one band will be signed to Sony in the US market and Warner in the Australian market. Also, currently we're locked out of online stores such as iTunes. Will "opening the market" open up these sites to Australians?