ITS Global

ITS Global is the trading name for International Trade Strategies (ITS), a Melbourne-based consultancy founded by Alan Oxley. ITS Global has worked consistently against the Kyoto agreement on greenhouse gas emissions, and opposed other mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions. It has also done a number of consulting projects which have promoted increased logging and associated operations in Papua New Guinea and Tasmania. ITS Global was used by Oxley as a leading promoter of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement through the establishment of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement Business Group (AUSTA)

Environmental Policy Consulting
One of the priority areas for ITS is environmental policy. "Few people are against improving the environment. The issue is how to do it. The major problem in environmental affairs today is bad environment policy. It poses risks for business and jeopardizes growth. Greens exert constant pressure for the environmental interest to override all others. Most people want policies to improve the environment balanced with those that promote growth," ITS states on its website.

The key environmental policy areas its focusses on are greenhouse, genetically modified organisms, trade in metals and chemicals and trade and the environment.

Rimbunan Hijau
ITS Global has been employed by Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau to defend its ongoing illegal logging practices in Papua New Guinea. These practices have not only devastated millions of hectares of rainforest, but have resulted in widespread human rights abuses.

In July 2006, ITS Global released a report in Port Moresby defending the Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau and its logging operations in Papua New Guinea.

ITS Global Justifies Gunns Pulp Mill in Tasmania
Following its work for Rimbunan Hijau, in 2007, ITS Global was hired by the Tasmanian Government of Paull Lennon to review the economic and social benefits of the Gunns Pulp Mill at Bell Bay, which the government had expressed string support for. Not surprisingly, the ITS report on the pulp mill found that "The net benefit for Tasmania overall is assessed to be positive and high, both over the long term, the operational phase of the Project and during the construction phase."

Climate Change Denial Work
ITS designed the website for a 2003 conference of Australia's climate change skeptics at Parliament House in Canberra. Entitled "Managing Climate Change: Practicalities and Realities in a post-Kyoto future", the conference was organised by Alan Oxley and his Australian APEC Study Centre.

Climatchangeissues.com
Climatchangeissues.com is a climate skeptic website set up by Alan Oxley, and edited by ITS Global employee Steven Macmillan. The site showcased the research of climate change deniers like Ian Plimer and CR De Freitas who are not climate scientists, but have appeared in the media denying the established facts of the impacts of increasing atmospheric CO2 levels. 

Australia/US Free Trade Agreement Business Group (AUSTA)
In 2001, ITS Global and it's director Alan Oxley set up the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement Business Group (AUSTA), to lobby the Australian government to negotiate and approve the FTA. The AUSTA site lists Alan Oxley of ITS as its sole contact person. 

The members of AUSTA are:
 * Alcoa
 * AMCHAM
 * Australian Food & Grocery Council
 * Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry
 * Australian Industry Group
 * Australian Dairy Corporation
 * Australian Meat Council
 * BHP Steel
 * Bonlac Foods Ltd
 * Business Council of Australia
 * Cargill
 * Caterpillar
 * Commonwealth Bank of Australia
 * EDS Australia
 * Effem Foods
 * Esso Australia Pty Ltd
 * IBM
 * Internet Industry Association
 * Kellogg's
 * Minerals Council of Australia
 * Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd
 * News Limited
 * PBR International
 * Procter & Gamble
 * Southcorp Limited
 * Telstra Corporation
 * Visy (Pratt Industries)
 * Westfield Holdings
 * Western Mining Corporation (WMC)

China Business Focus
In 2005, ITS and its director Alan Oxley set up China Business Focus to lobby for a Free Trade Agreement between Australia and China.

Institutional Links
The ITS website notes that is has "close associations" with a number of right wing US groups, including the American Enterprise Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation. 

Personnel

 * Bill Bowen
 * Alan Oxley - Managing Director
 * Kristen Osborne - Senior Consultant
 * Khalil Hegarty - Consultant

Former personnel

 * Tim Wilson - Consultant
 * Steven Macmillan - Consultant

Contact information
International Trade Strategies 60 Collins St Melbourne 3000 Victoria Australia telephone: 613 9654 8323 fax: 61 3 9650 7622 mobile: 61 417 358 462 email: its AT vic.bigpond.net.au Web: http://www.itsglobal.net/

Other Sourcewatch Resources

 * Australian APEC Study Centre
 * Climatchangeissues.com
 * Climate change skeptics
 * Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement Business Group
 * China Business Focus
 * ITS Global Defends Rimbunan Hijau's Papua New Guinea Logging Operations