Community organisations welcome Trade Minister’s support to waive monopolies on COVID-19 vaccines, urge more action at
meetings in India and WTO
Representatives of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET), the Australian Catholic Bishops Office of
Justice, Ecology and Peace, Oxfam Australia and the Public Health Association of Australia met yesterday with Trade
Minister Tehan. They were amongst 15 national organisations representing millions of Australians who wrote to him about vaccine patents. They urged him to do more to speed up negotiations on the temporary waiver of monopoly
trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in the World Trade Organisation
(WTO), moved by India and South Africa, and supported by over 100 WTO member states. This would enable developing
countries to manufacture vaccines and increase global supply.
Australia has previously supported the negotiations, but not expressed direct public support for the waiver.
The organisations welcomed the Minister’s support for the waiver expressed in the meeting, but urge the government to
take a stronger public position, including expressing support for the waiver during the visit of Foreign Minister
Senator Marise Payne to India on Saturday September 11, and at the next meeting of the WTO TRIPS meeting on September
14.
“We welcome the Minister’s support for the waiver because we need urgent action to end monopoly controls of COVID
vaccines. Rich countries are first in line to negotiate with companies, but even Australia has experienced delays in supply. Most low-income countries will not have access to vaccines until 2023 or later. Millions are dying as new variants like Delta develop and spread, prolonging the pandemic,” said Dr Patricia Ranald,
AFTINET Convener.
Associate Professor Deborah Gleeson said: “The Public Health Association of Australia welcomes the Minister’s support
for the TRIPS Waiver, which is critically important for ramping up the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines and other
products. But words must be matched by actions at the WTO. We look forward to hearing that Australia is unequivocally
supporting the waiver and encouraging other countries to do the same. Failing to secure a waiver puts the whole world’s
progress in overcoming the pandemic at risk.”
Dr Sandie Cornish from the Catholic Bishops Office of Justice, Ecology and Peace said: “In the face of a global health
emergency, we should be guided by the values of equal respect for people, the reduction of suffering, and fairness in
the distribution of benefits and burdens. In an international pharmaceutical market where a small number of firms have
market power, governments have a moral responsibility to intervene to ensure just access to vaccines for all.”
Rod Goodbun from Oxfam Australia said: "The encouraging signs of support from the Minister for the TRIPS waiver are most
welcome. Pharmaceutical companies are paying out billions in dividends to their shareholders at a time when low-income
countries are struggling to get vaccines for their people. With urgent action by governments at the WTO, the cost of
vaccinating the world against COVID-19 could be made at least five times cheaper and we could end pharmaceutical
companies' profiteering from their monopolies on COVID vaccines.”