Labor senator Kim Carr has taken aim at the federal government’s Anti-Dumping Commission (ADC) for its ‘delays in the decision making process’ on an application lodged by Australian Paper.
Australian Paper went to the ADC in April alleging that paper companies from China, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand had sold A4 copy paper to Australia at below market rate last year, which it said had ‘caused material injury to the Australian industry’.
The ADC launched an investigation and was due to make a final decision by August 1, however almost two months later the decision has not been reached.
Carr tells Australian Printer he is concerned a delay will cause further injury to the Australian paper industry and will affect manufacturing jobs in Gippsland.
“The findings from that investigation are now overdue,” he says. “Australian Paper has made a strong case to the ADC, but delays in the decision-making process are damaging their operations.”
Carr continues, “If the ADC needs more time to complete its inquiries, then it should impose provisional measures to ensure an immediate return to fair trading conditions in Australia.
“At the start of the investigation preliminary estimates from both Australian Paper and the ADC found that the dumping margins of copy paper from Brazil, China, Indonesia and Thailand were very high.”
In June Commissioner Dale Seymour released his update on the investigation in a 60 day status report.
In the report he rejected imposing anti-dumping measures against the countries named in the case due to insufficient grounds.
Australian Paper spokesperson Craig Dunn has slammed the ADC for not taking action earlier.
Dunn tells Australian Printer, “ADC could have applied preliminary measures from day 60 of the investigation but it is now more than 100 days beyond day 60 and no preliminary measures have yet been put in place.
“Australian Paper would like the ADC to be better resourced so that cases like these can be brought to a much swifter conclusion. It is already well past day 160 in this case and it would appear that the case is far from being finalised.
“Australian Paper is seeking for the local market to be restored to fairness, and a swift resolution to this case is important for the future of Australian copy paper manufacturing.”
The ADC is expected to provide a formal statement on the case by October 21.
Commissioner Seymour says, “This is an extremely important investigation and for this reason it is essential that we complete our investigation properly."
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