Building Australia’s Future Requires Fair Competition

Australia has long benefited from free trade.

Open markets have helped build a prosperous economy, expanded opportunities for Australian businesses and delivered benefits for consumers. Australia should remain an outward-looking nation that embraces trade and competition because both have played an important role in Australia’s success.

At the same time, open markets work best when competition is fair. That principle sits behind the recent establishment of the Australian Trade Remedies Commission, which strengthens Australia’s trade remedy framework and reinforces confidence that concerns about unfair trade practices can be assessed through an independent, evidence-based process.

Australian manufacturers should compete on service, quality, innovation, productivity, reliability and value. Success should be determined by who delivers the best outcome for customers, not by market distortions that undermine fair competition.

Competition is not fair when imported products are dumped into Australia at prices below their normal value, causing material injury to Australian industry. This conduct is subject to action under Australia’s anti-dumping laws. Imports will always play an important role in Australia’s economy and provide valuable competition, but Australian manufacturers should also have confidence they are competing on a level playing field.

This is not about limiting trade or protecting businesses from competition. Australia has long supported an open trading system and should continue to do so. The question is whether competition is operating as intended and whether Australian businesses are able to compete on fair terms.

That is why countries around the world maintain trade remedy systems and other policy tools to address situations where unfair trade practices place industries under pressure. Australia’s recent reforms are a positive step forward and should help ensure the system remains transparent, effective and responsive when concerns arise.

Why It Matters

The importance of fair competition extends beyond individual businesses or industries.

Australia’s future depends on our ability to keep building. We need more housing, new infrastructure, reliable energy and resilient supply chains. Delivering those outcomes requires investment, skilled people and a manufacturing sector capable of supporting the nation’s growth.

When manufacturing capability declines, the consequences are felt far beyond the factory gate. Skills are lost, apprenticeship opportunities diminish and industrial expertise built over generations becomes harder to replace. Regional communities can be affected and supply chains become more exposed at a time when resilience matters more than ever.

Steel remains fundamental to that future because the homes, transport networks, renewable energy projects and the infrastructure Australia relies on all depend on a secure and reliable supply of materials. Maintaining that capability is not simply an industry issue. It is part of ensuring Australia can continue to build, grow and respond to future challenges with confidence.

Fair Competition Benefits Everyone

Maintaining manufacturing capability is sometimes presented as a choice between supporting local industry and delivering affordable projects.

In reality, Australia needs both. Competitive markets, strong domestic capability and fair competition are not competing objectives. Together they encourage investment, support productivity and help create the conditions needed for long-term growth.

Trade remedy systems are not designed to remove competition. Their purpose is to help ensure competition operates fairly and transparently when concerns arise about market distortions.

Australian manufacturers are not seeking special treatment or guaranteed outcomes. What they seek is the opportunity to compete on equal terms and to succeed through innovation, efficiency, service and value.

Those are the conditions that encourage businesses to invest, employ people, develop skills and plan for the future.

Looking Ahead

The establishment of the Australian Trade Remedies Commission reflects an important recognition that strong manufacturing capability remains important to Australia’s future and that fair competition helps provide the confidence needed for investment and industry growth.

Australia does not have to choose between open trade and domestic manufacturing capability. A successful economy should embrace both.

As the nation looks to address its housing needs, deliver major infrastructure and strengthen economic resilience, maintaining the conditions that support investment, innovation and industrial capability will remain important. Those same conditions help businesses invest in productivity improvements, new technologies and lower-emissions solutions that will be needed to build a more sustainable future.

Fair competition is one of those conditions, and helping to preserve it will play an important role in building Australia’s future.

Stay safe,

Francisco Irazusta
CEO, InfraBuild