Reject the FTA!
It's time to stand up for Australia!

"If this agreement is passed by the Senate it will go down in 
history — as the greatest economic treachery perpetrated on 
Australians for a questionable political outcome."

These are the words of Doug Cameron National Secretary of the 
Australian Manufacturing Worker's Union addressing the Union's 
National Conference on July 25.

His call underlines the urgency of the situation. The Free Trade 
Agreement is likely to be voted on soon after August 12 when the 
report of a Senate enquiry into the FTA is to be tabled. The 
Howard Government, in league with the representatives of the 
United States and the Australian media is attempting to rush the 
agreement through parliament.

Sending a direct message to the Labor Party Doug Cameron said: 
"History will judge this agreement — and if it is passed with 
Labor Party support, history will also judge the Labor Party as 
having made a terrible, terrible decision".

Humiliating sellout

He quoted Tim Colebatch writing in The Age:

"This actually isn't a Free Trade Agreement — it's a half a free 
trade agreement — it simply means free trade for American 
exports to Australia. Australia is watering down, weakening and 
destroying our barriers, tariffs and industry protections — 
while the US is ensuring they continue to protect their 
industries. The Labor Party can not and must not accept this 
cringing, second rate outcome — to do so would be a humiliating 
sell out".

Doug Cameron said that the most important of the [Union's] 
battles is the campaign against the free trade policies of our 
national political parties.

He spoke of the experience of the AMWU, "No-one knows more about 
the impact of globalisation in Australia than manufacturing 
workers and their communities.

"We are losing jobs, industries and factories, communities are 
losing their security, their incomes and their lifeline to future 
economic prosperity — we are living it everyday.

"We do not have our heads in the sand about the nature of 
globalisation as many politicians like to accuse us — our 
argument is that the interests of big business is shaping and 
framing and hijacking the process of globalisation in the 
interests of a few, and at the expense of the many. 

"Never before has an Australian Government been prepared to give 
away so much on behalf of so many, for so little return."

He quoted the US Ambassador to Australia Tom Schieffer who 
claimed that the FTA "is an opportunity to receive American parts 
for your cars without the 15 percent tariff that you now have to 
pay. That will make the cars you make here cheaper and more 
competitive in markets around the world, not just in the United 
States. Rear wheel drive cars, which are still preferred by many 
drivers, could be manufactured here while parts inside them could 
be manufactured in the United States".

Doug Cameron pointed out the realities: "The four major car 
companies employ 17,000 people. The component sector comprises 
200 separate companies employing some 30,000 people.

"If we lose the skills, research and development and innovation 
from our component sector then our manufacturing industry will be 
dealt a blow it may never recover from."

The AMWU along with a host of community groups, other unions, 
economic experts and academics have campaigned against this 
agreement said Doug Cameron.

"We have been overwhelmed with support from members and 
delegates, who have rallied, written letters, turned up to Senate 
Inquiries, lobbied politicians and talked to literally thousands 
of people to inform them about this sell out by the Government.

Who will the ALP listen to?

"It will come down to who the ALP listens to — its members and 
supporters, the community and union members, workers and small 
business, economists and academics — or will they listen to the 
commentaries in the Murdoch press?

"Comrades — there is no doubt that our members and the community 
would be better off with a Federal Labor Government in power, and 
the coming election is a very important one for our members.

"To all those in the [Labor] Party who think that the politics of 
the US alliance means we have to vote for the Free Trade 
Agreement let me say this — we won't lose this election if we 
demand that the agreement be renegotiated.

"We will lose this election if we fail, once again, to send a 
message to the Australian public and our supporters that the 
Labor Party stands up for something different to the Liberals."

The Communist Party of Australia has consistently opposed and 
exposed the FTA. Similar agreements made by the US with other 
countries have all proved disastrous for the working people of 
those countries.

Time is very short

Time is very short to make a difference and persuade the ALP and 
the Australian Democrats that they must vote the FTA down in the 
Senate. The FTA will almost certainly be voted on in August. Your 
protest must not be left to the time of the Federal elections. It 
may already have become law by then and will be almost impossible 
to revoke.

Write, phone or email your Federal Senators NOW.