Today’s decision by the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Hon Karen Andrews MP, to accept the Anti-Dumping Commission’s (ADC’s) findings that companies from four nations exported dumped A4 copy paper into Australia is a big win for fair trade and an important step towards a level playing field for domestic producers, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Mr Ross Hampton said.
The ADC has recommended that duties be imposed on several companies as a result of dumping activities, where the export price to Australia is below the selling price, or below the full cost of the product, in the country of export. The recommended anti-dumping duties range from 3.8 to 16.4 per cent on imported paper from Finland, Korea, Russia and Slovakia.
“Manufacturing in Australia has been under increasing pressure from imported products and it is crucial that we have an effective anti-dumping system to ensure fair and transparent trade,” Mr Hampton said.
“Domestic manufacturers must have confidence in the anti-dumping system to bring cases forward when they are concerned about dumping practices, as well as in the measures put in place to provide an effective and timely trade remedy. The ADC’s recommendations and the positive Government response will help provide this confidence.
“This decision sends a strong message to overseas manufacturers that Australia is not a soft target for under-priced products which threaten the operation of domestic manufacturers and the thousands of local jobs they support.
“We will continue to monitor the performance of the anti-dumping system, given its importance for promoting a level playing field for our domestic manufacturers,” Mr Hampton concluded.