16th Feb 2017, 12:04 PM – Senate Motions - Imports - Anti-dumping system

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by Senator Nick Xenophon also on behalf of Senator Kim Carr, which means it was successful.

Motions like these don't have legal force - they don't become laws or government policies - but they do express the view of the Senate and so can be influential and can encourage the government to take the action that they call for.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) dumping of imported goods on Australian shores puts the future of sustainable Australian manufacturing and agricultural production at risk,

(ii) dumping of imported goods on Australian shores is harmful to Australian jobs throughout the entire supply chain and future economic diversity of the nation,

(iii) the complexity and cost of Australia's anti-dumping system remains prohibitive to small and medium-sized manufacturers, especially at a time when Australian businesses are already suffering economic loss caused by dumped imports, and

(iv) exporters and importers of dumped goods continue to circumvent anti-dumping measures causing Australian manufacturers further harm, placing further Australian jobs at risk and defrauding the Commonwealth of revenue; and

(b) calls on the Government to:

(i) urgently introduce administrative reform to the Australian anti-dumping system to increase the effectiveness of the system with immediate focus on small and medium-sized businesses,

(ii) immediately establish a joint taskforce between the Anti-Dumping Commission and the Australian Border Force to address the problem of circumvention of anti-dumping measures, and

(iii) where countervailing measures are not successful, pursue illegal subsidy programs through the WTO disputes settlements process, and join as third-parties such disputes instituted by other member states.