Law professor wants refusal to release TPP documents overturned
Stuff | 5 August 2015
Law professor wants refusal to release TPP documents overturned
An application for an urgent review of a refusal to release documents relating to the Trans-Pacific partnership trade deal has been filed in the High Court in Wellington by law professor Jane Kelsey.
The Auckland University law professor, who has been a long time critic of the TPP, filed papers on Wednesday seeking the court rule on Trade Minister Tim Groser’s blanket refusal to release any documents under the Official Information Act. The request was made in January.
The request was based on a report from the European Union Ombudsman recommending release of similar documents from the US-EU negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
The application is seeking a declaration from the court that Groser’s decision was unlawful and asking for an urgent hearing.
The court action was lodged after the Chief Ombudsman released a report last Wednesday upholding the minister’s decision.
The applicants bringing the case are Consumer NZ, Ngati Kahungunu, the Tertiary Education Union, Oxfam, Greenpeace, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), as well as Professor Kelsey.
They believe there is an important public interest in the requested information being publicly available, so people can better understand the issues under negotiation and the position the government has taken on behalf of the people of New Zealand, before the negotiations are concluded.
A date has yet to be set for a hearing.
