Why rush a free trade deal, Mr Howard?

Latham's Labor Party should not be spooked into passing this dangerous agreement, writes Kenneth Davidson.

It would be incredible if the ALP is spooked into agreeing to pass the Australia-United States free trade agreement before the federal election on the grounds that Labor would otherwise run the risk of being branded anti-American by the Howard Government.

What's the rush? What has the Government got to hide? Does the ALP believe a majority of the electorate are so stupid that they identify the Australian national interest with the American national interest?

It is noteworthy that under the Central American free trade agreement, sugar producers Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all managed to get extra sugar quotas in their bilateral agreements with the US.

Does this indicate that their presidents have a better relationship with Bush, or does it mean that in terms of US regional/strategic/political relations, on this issue these Central American countries have a higher priority than Australia in the eyes of the US?

The US can afford massive support because farmers make up less than 2 per cent of the population and 1.3 per cent of gross domestic product. Indeed, in several years during the 1990s, US government payments to farmers more than exceeded the value of net farm income.


http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/30/1088488024218.html?from=storylhs