Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Carr for his question. As he knows, Australian suppliers are very well represented in Commonwealth procurement, with approximately 94 per cent of Commonwealth contracts being awarded to Australian suppliers in each of the three years from 2012-13 to 2014-15. The Anti-Dumping Commission has a current investigation into the alleged dumping of copy paper exported to Australia from countries that account for the most significant volumes of paper exports to Australia, namely Brazil, China, Indonesia and Thailand. On 29 September the commission found that A4 paper exported from China and Thailand had been dumped. On 4 November it made the same findings for paper from Brazil and Indonesia, and the commission has required securities in respect of interim dumping duties that may become payable. So the laws are being implemented as appropriate.

Labor's record of high energy costs and industry shutdowns have not been helpful to Australian manufacturers. The federal government will deliver $43 million, for example, to support the Hazelwood power station workers in Victoria's Latrobe Valley following closure of the facility in 2017. These are some of the practical steps that we are taking. Labor made manufacturing businesses in Australia less competitive internationally. It is Labor's responsibility because they put burdens onto those manufacturing businesses by imposing a carbon tax which was pushing the cost of electricity to manufacturing businesses up and up and up—costs that are not faced by our competitors in other parts of the world. Of course, if Labor ever had the chance of getting back into government, they would come back and introduce a carbon tax again; they would again impose burdens on manufacturing businesses in Australia, making it harder for them to compete. This government has a proud record when it comes to supporting Australian manufacturing.