On the independent arbitration of disputes with foreign investors, DFAT says the agreement will not protect investors from a mere loss of profits and does not prevent a government from changing its policies or regulating in the public interest.

"Modern Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms incorporate explicit safeguards to reaffirm the right of governments to take decisions in the public interest, including in the areas of health and the environment, and reduce the chances that foreign investors bring frivolous claims," it says.

On the power of Australian courts DFAT says: "Should the Australian government agree to include ISDS in the TPP, then Australia would retain the ability to determine domestic laws, and Australian courts will retain their exclusive jurisdiction to determine matters of Australian law."

And on intellectual property, DFAT says the government is " negotiating intellectual property provisions in the TPP within the framework of Australia's existing laws and policies and does not support any proposals that would require changes to Australia's current intellectual property arrangements, including our copyright and enforcement regimes."

The strong defence of the IP provisions and judicial sovereignty follows a flood of criticism of the TPP on this front from the Productivity Commission (PC), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Harper competition review and High Court chief justice Robert French.

The DFAT statement rejects the criticism that the TPP has been negotiated in secret, arguing that it has engaged in constant stakeholder engagement. But the detailed statement of rebuttal at this point in the process suggests there is some concern in government that the message has not been getting out.

The TPP – which involves 12 countries – is a more complex trade negotiation than a traditional negotiation because it extends beyond traditional goods trade to more complicated issues such as government procurement and regulation.

Some trade observers say that member countries should be more transparent about the process because of this complexity, to maintain support for trade liberalisation. But the latest comprehensive polling about the TPP by the Pew Research Centre shows general support for the process in the member countries.

The Business Council of Australia has defended the government's support for bilateral and regional trade deals following the PC's strong criticism, including of the way the bilateral deal with Japan was assessed.