TURNBULL MUST HOLD FIRM ON TPP AND BIOLOGICS

Malcolm Turnbull must stand firm in protecting Australians’ access to affordable medicine under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
 
Inflammatory statements by a senior Republican Senator reported today show the protections for patents negotiated by former Trade Minister Andrew Robb as part of the TPP deal are now under threat.
 
Mr Robb made a clear promise that the TPP would not require Australia to change its five-year period of data exclusivity for biologic medicines and would not require any changes to the PBS.
 
Malcolm Turnbull must honour the commitments made by the Coalition on the TPP and reject any attempts to dismantle Australia’s biologics patent regime.
 
Mr Turnbull is yet to reveal whether current Trade Minister Steve Ciobo is a lame duck set to be replaced by a National Party Minister under the secret Coalition deal.
 
The yet-to-be-appointed Trade Minister and Mr Turnbull must honour the Coalition’s pre-election commitment to maintain existing protection for patents under the TPP.
 
Labor won’t support any trade deal that trades away Australia’s national interest.