How America ripped off Australia with ‘free trade’

Tim Harcourt remembers the negotiations vividly, even 20 years down the track. As the then chief economist for Austrade, he was heavily involved in helping put together what the federal government hailed as a groundbreaking trade deal between Australia and its major ally, the United States of America. “I always felt the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement was John Howard’s idea to show solidarity with the Bush administration after the September 11 attacks,” Harcourt muses. ” It was more about geopolitics and defence than trade. ” Economist Tim Harcourt says trade and tariffs are being used as geopolitical weapons. (Supplied: UNSW)…