Pacific trade deal facing Senate battle

A huge trade deal involving 11 countries is facing a battle to get through the upper house, with crossbench senators promising to vote against it.

The future of a massive trade deal hangs in the balance in the Senate, with two more crossbenchers refusing to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The government says the agreement will unlock billions of dollars in wage rises and economic growth over the next 12 years, but the two Centre Alliance senators are refusing to support it.

"We're not trying to kill the deal in its entirety, we're just trying to cut the cancer out of it," Senator Rex Patrick said on Monday.

But the TPP-11 is a take-it-or-leave-it deal, after 11 countries managed precarious negotiations to come up with an agreement they could all be happy with.

"Opponents of this agreement are risking $15.6 billion in annual benefits to Australia's income that are forecast to be realised by 2030," Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said in a statement.

"Senator Patrick should listen to groups including the National Farmers Federation and Winemakers' Federation of Australia, who clearly see the TPP-11 as a way to create more jobs from more exports by businesses."

The Centre Alliance wants to see labour market testing included in the deal and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions excluded before it will support the TPP-11.

"Labor should join us in sending a very strong signal that we do not enter into trade deals unless there is clear benefit, strong labour market testing, and all ISDS provisions have been removed," Senator Patrick said.

Labor has previously indicated it is likely to support the TPP-11 through the Senate, but a spokeswoman for opposition trade spokesman Jason Clare wouldn't commit to that on Monday.

"Labor's position on the enabling legislation will be determined by shadow cabinet and caucus as is normal procedure," she told AAP.

The TPP-11 enabling legislation is due to be debated in parliament this week.

The government needs eight votes to get it through the upper house, but without Centre Alliance and Pauline Hanson's One Nation, it needs Labor's support.


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Source: AAP



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