AFGC welcomes new anti-dumping laws

The Federal Government’s decision to establish an Anti-Dumping Commission has been welcomed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC).

The government has announced it will deliver stronger protection for Australian industry against unfair competition from overseas by reforming the anti-dumping system. In a media release, Greg Combet noted with concern evidence of a significant increase in dumping - the practice of imported goods being sold in Australia at prices below their normal value.

Combet said that dumping injures local businesses and puts Australian jobs at risk. “It is neither economically efficient nor fair for competitive Australian businesses to be disadvantaged by products dumped into our market,” Combet said in the media release, which was released jointly with Julia Gillard and Jason Clare.

“The Australian food and grocery manufacturing sector’s competitiveness is currently being undercut by a high dollar, rising input costs, retail price deflation and high compliance costs,” said AFGC CEO Gary Dawson. “In this environment the threat of product dumping is a serious issue warranting the tougher anti-dumping measures announced by the government today.”

The reforms will:

• Establish a new Anti-Dumping Commission to investigate complaints.
• Boost funding to Customs by $24.4 million over four years so it can deal with cases speedily and fairly - this will almost double the number of investigators.
• Make the anti-dumping system easier for small and medium-sized businesses.
• Introduce stricter remedies against overseas producers who deliberately circumvent Australia’s anti-dumping rules.

“The establishment of a well-resourced Anti-Dumping Commission to investigate complaints will particularly help small and medium-sized businesses that are most under threat from unfair dumping of imported goods in the domestic market,” Dawson said.

The government will introduce legislation in 2013 to establish the new Anti-Dumping Commission. The commission will be based in Melbourne and will report directly to the Minister for Home Affairs and utilise the systems of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.