The peak body for the forest, wood and paper products industry, the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), has welcomed the recent report from the House of Representatives Parliamentary Inquiry into Australia’s anti-dumping system and measures to further improve the system.
AFPA Chief Executive Officer Mr Ross Hampton said “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”.
“Forest products are widely traded. Australia imports around $4.5 billion in wood, paper and tissue products each year, while we export around $2.5 billion, producing a trade deficit in forest products of around $2 billion each year”.
“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”.
“We are pleased that the Inquiry report recommends that the Minister, in imposing antidumping duties, should use a combination of duties rather than rely solely on an ad valorem duty. This was a major concern for AFPA, as ad valorem duties can be readily absorbed by some importers.”
“AFPA also argued for additional resources to be provided to the Anti-Dumping Commission to ensure that cases are considered in a timely manner and measures put in place as soon as possible, such as the imposition of provisional measures from day 60 of an investigation.”
“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.”
02.06.2015 AFPA lends voice to domestic manufacturers battling dumping