Public Good: Media release
On the cusp of something very special?
Is the National Party keeping some things out of sight in case they frighten the electorate? Here is some worrying
evidence that this may be the case.
On 20 June this year there was a Wikileaks release on the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) and the coverage was mainly
related to its role in the delivery of financial services. An Official Information Act Enquiry (OIA) to MFAT confirmed
it has been involved in negotiations since early 2013 with other countries who call themselves ‘very good friends of
services’. The government is even keeping the sectors involved in the agreement secret. Consultation has been minimal
and subscribers to an exporters newsletter were the only group informed. But there is much more. The Public Services
International (PSI), the international organisation of Public Sector Unions, released a report on 19 June which talks
about TISA as an agreement for
“Governments [who] are planning to take the world on a liberalisation spree on a scale never seen before. According to
the report, this massive trade deal will put public healthcare, broadcasting, water, transport and other services at
risk. The proposed deal could make it impossible for future governments to restore public services to public control,
even in cases where private service delivery has failed”.
We know that the government is committed to Free Trade including agreements negotiated in secret outside the World Trade
Organisation. However there is nothing on the National party website or Manifesto about TISA or in published Beehive
speeches or press releases. Prior to the 20 June there was only 1 passing reference from a NZ journalist about the
negotiations. If the National Party were proud its international free trade negotiations and confident that voters would
want to endorse them it might be reasonable that the Minister would speak about them on the record and they might form
part of the election manifesto. Should we be worried that this is not the case?
References
MFAT notification
http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Trade-and-Economic-Relations/2-Trade-Relationships-and-Agreements/Trade-in-Services/index.php
Responses to OIA request for information on TISA
https://www.fyi.org.nz/request/1764-advice-on-progress-of-the-trade-in-services-agreement
(Of the many paragraphs redacted part 2 page 12 specifically lists the sectors involved
The redactions relate to
Section 6 (a) to prejudice the security or defence of New Zealand or the international relations of the Government of
New Zealand; or
(b) to prejudice the entrusting of information to the Government
of New Zealand on a basis of confidence by—
(i) the Government of any other country or any agency of such a Government; or
Section 9 (j) enable a Minister of the Crown or any department or
organisation holding the information to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial
and industrial negotiations);