This March, UnitingWorld, the ACTU and other civil society leaders met with Australian parliamentary and government leaders in Canberra to ask for a fair go on trade talks with Pacific nations.

UnitingWorld Associate Director for Church Solidarity (Pacific) Bruce Mullan met with Parliamentary Secretary (Pacific Island Affairs) Duncan Kerr and key advisors and chiefs of staff for Trade Minister Simon Crean and Parliamentary Secretary (International Development Assistance) Bob McMullan.

As Australia and New Zealand engage in the PACER Plus round of trade negotiations with Pacific nations both countries are working hard to persuading Pacific governments of the advantages of their approach.

UnitingWorld Director Rev Dr Kerry Enright said the Australian and New Zealand governments are operating like free trade evangelists and it appears that only civil society groups such as the church are presenting alternative views.

“UnitingWorld supports economic development but believes it needs to have its place within the wider Pacific Christian cultural context, not undermining it,” Dr Enright said.

In response to this issue, UnitingWorld has developed a policy paper on trade justice for submission to the Assembly.

It has been adopted in the interim by the Assembly Standing Committee and a proposal to the Uniting Church’s National Assembly in July will request the Assembly to adopt this paper as the basis for representations and advocacy.

The paper points out that while trade offers opportunities to foster human development, an unrestrained international trade system will leave the poorest and most vulnerable behind.

The delegation resolved to negotiate face-to-face conversations between church and other civil society leaders in Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands and Minister Crean and Mr McMullan.

You can add your voice to UnitingWorld’s in calling for equality in this issue.

Download UnitingWorld’s Trade Justice white paper

Email Trade Minister Simon Crean and Parliamentary Secretary (International Development Assistance) Bob McMullan about your concerns.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 12:13 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.