Australian Paper welcomed the Anti-Dumping Commission’s decision to release a Preliminary Affirmative Determination (PAD) confirming that paper producers from Finland, Korea, Russia and Slovakia have been dumping A4 copy paper onto the local market.
“Australian jobs and the future of the local industry remain under threat from low market pricing for copy paper,” says Australian Paper COO Peter Williams. “The ADC’s decision to impose preliminary dumping duties on paper from Finland, Korea, Russia and Slovakia is a welcome first step in this investigation.”
In his preliminary determination, Anti-Dumping Commissioner Dale Seymour said: “I am satisfied there appears to be sufficient grounds for the publication of a dumping duty notice in respect of the goods exported to Australia from Finland, Korea, Russia and Slovakia, and that it is necessary to require and take securities in relation to exports from Finland, Korea, Russia and Slovakia to prevent material injury to the Australian industry occurring while the investigation continues.”
Russia last month said it would refuse to cooperate with the investigation and Finland also dismissed the allegations as “questionable.”
Seymour says the Federal Government will "take securities in respect of interim dumping duties that may become payable on the goods imported from those four countries and entered for home consumption in Australia on or after Monday, 21 May 2018."
The commission found there were not sufficient grounds “at this stage” to make a PAD in relation to the goods exported from Austria – the 5thcountry accused of dumping.
The investigation followed an application for a dumping notice by Australian Paper, Australia’s only office paper manufacturer, which said the local A4 copy paper market had suffered “material injury” caused by cheap A4 copy paper exported to Australia.
“Ongoing capital investment in local manufacturing is dependent upon fair market pricing,” says Williams. “Copy paper prices in Australia remain at historical lows and it is important that fairness is restored for the successful future of paper manufacturing in the Latrobe Valley.”
Australian Paper, owned by Japan’s Nippon Paper Industries, is the largest private employer in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. The company says it supports over 5,700 jobs nationally and contributes more than $900 million to Australia’s annual GDP.