MP pleads for bigger focus on timber ‘dumping’

Federal Liberal MP Dan Tehan is urging the Government to prevent the dumping of cheap housing timber onto the Australian market. Source: ABC
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union says hundreds of jobs in the timber industry could be lost.
It says almost 30 per cent of house framing timber in the Australian market is imported and priced below the cost of production.
Mr Tehan says the Government’s fight against dumping should be covered by a portfolio with better resources.
He says there needs to be a bigger focus on preventing the flooding of the market with cheap imports.
“We have called for the Department of Industry to take on this role and also for the Government to fund 20 specialist personnel within the Department of Industry with anti-dumping expertise so they can focus on this area,” he said.