Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. I remind the minister that SPC is an iconic business and employer in my electorate. It has long been injured by Italian tinned tomatoes being dumped in the Australian market. Minister, how are the government's reforms to the antidumping regime and today's decision to impose duties on Italian tinned tomatoes helping to ensure that Australian businesses can compete with imported goods on a level playing field?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Murray for her question. Australia is one of the most pro free trade countries in the world. Free trade has served our economy very well as a trading nation and as an island nation. Part of our commitment to free trade and part of our commitment to the World Trade Organization is that that trade is fair as well as free. In order to maintain the integrity of the system and the public support for free trade it is important that, when those rules are breached, action is taken.

In the case of Italian tinned tomatoes, the announcement today by the Assistant Minister for Science means that every single can of tinned tomatoes coming into Australia from Italy will now have a duty attached to it. In April 2014 many of the Italian tins of tomatoes had a duty attached. Today, every Italian tin of tomatoes has a duty attached, which means that Australian businesses can compete on a fair basis with imports.

The rules of the WTO make it very clear that countries cannot injure domestic businesses through the importation of products. The Australian Anti-Dumping Commissioner has found that, in the case of tinned tomatoes from Italy, the dumping of those tomatoes has been injurious to Australian businesses, particularly SPC Ardmona in the member for Murray's electorate for whom the member for Murray has been a great advocate for her entire period in this House. So while I would not necessarily congratulate the ADC or the member for Murray, it is a fact that today the government is imposing duties on two businesses, Feger and La Doria, from Italy—8.4 per cent on Feger and 4½ per cent on La Doria. That is in order to remove that injury to Australian business. I think Australians will welcome this, because it shows that the Australian government and the Anti-Dumping Commission are not toothless tigers.

We introduced some reforms to the anti-dumping laws last year. They are starting to work their magic through our economy. It is not just Italian tinned tomatoes that we are now taking action over. Eighty per cent of the cases that are before the Anti-Dumping Commissioner—and I see him in the chamber today—are about the steel and aluminium industry in Australia. There has been concern in the steel industry about the potential for dumping of steel from overseas to be found. There are three cases right now before the Anti-Dumping Commission that I have asked them to expedite. I look forward to their findings in those cases on whether or not Australia has been injured. So I thank the member for Murray for her question. (Time expired)