Australia’s Anti-Dumping Framework

Australia has an established anti-dumping framework for investigating whether imported goods are being sold into the Australian market at dumped prices and whether those imports are causing material injury to Australian industry.

  • Dumping can occur when goods are exported to Australia at a price below their normal value, generally assessed by reference to the price of comparable goods in the exporter’s home market or another method permitted under Australia’s anti-dumping framework. 
  • Dumping is not simply a matter of imported products being cheaper than Australian made products. An investigation considers whether goods are actually being dumped below their normal value and, separately, whether those dumped imports are causing material injury to Australian industry. 
  • Australian manufacturers can apply to the Anti-Dumping Commission where they believe dumped imports are causing material injury to Australian industry. 
  • Making an application does not determine the outcome. The Commission assesses whether there is sufficient evidence to initiate an investigation and, once an investigation begins, conducts its own examination of the relevant imports, pricing, Australian industry and alleged injury. 
  • Importers, exporters, Australian manufacturers and other interested parties can participate in the investigation and provide information and submissions to the Commission. 
  • The Anti-Dumping Commission administers Australia’s anti-dumping system and investigates whether dumping has occurred, whether Australian industry has suffered material injury and whether there is a causal link between the two. 
  • Australian manufacturers participating in an investigation do not determine whether dumping has occurred, the dumping margins that apply or whether anti-dumping measures should be imposed. 

  • InfraBuild and its customers exercise their rights as Australian manufacturers to participate in this process. The investigation and its findings are matters for the Australian Government’s Anti-Dumping Commission. 
  • The Commission gathers and assesses information from relevant parties, which can include Australian manufacturers, importers and overseas exporters. It examines matters including export prices, the normal value of the goods, import volumes and prices, the condition of Australian industry and whether dumped imports have caused material injury. 
  • Where the Commission reaches the necessary preliminary findings during an investigation, interim measures may be put in place while the investigation continues. A preliminary determination is not the end of the investigation, and the Commission continues its assessment before making its final recommendation. 
  • An anti-dumping investigation does not ban imports or prevent overseas suppliers from selling goods into Australia. 
  • Where measures are imposed, their purpose is to address the effects of dumping that has been found to cause material injury to Australian industry.  
  • Imported goods can continue to enter Australia subject to the applicable requirements. 
  • InfraBuild supports competition and believes competition should occur on a fair and level playing field. 
  • InfraBuild competes every day with Australian manufacturers and imported products. Anti-dumping measures do not prevent legitimate competition. Their purpose is to address unfairly priced imports where the Commission determines that dumping has occurred and caused material injury. 
  • Australian manufacturers should not be expected to compete against dumped imports that cause material injury to domestic industry. 
  • InfraBuild is a major Australian steel manufacturer, employer and supplier to the construction sector. 
  • Australia can have both strong competition and strong domestic manufacturing. Those objectives are not mutually exclusive. 
  • InfraBuild will continue to compete on price, quality, service and security of supply while supporting a fair and rules-based trading environment. 

Fair competition, strong manufacturing: Understanding Australia's anti-dumping framework and Investigation 692 

The Australian Trade Remedies Commission is currently investigating certain welded steel mesh sheets exported from China and Malaysia. 

The following addresses some common misconceptions about Investigation 692 and explains the importance of trade remedies in supporting a strong domestic steel industry.  

Fact: Anti-dumping measures do not ban or ‘block’ imports. Dumping measures apply to specific products exported from specific countries only.  Australia imports steel products from around the world and will continue to do so.  

Dumping is a form of market distortion that occurs when products are exported to Australia at prices below the price they are sold at in the exporting country. In some cases, the market distortion arises because they benefit from government subsidies that allow them to be sold at artificially low prices. 

When the Australian Trade Remedies Commission determines that dumping is causing material injury to an Australian industry, duties may be imposed to offset that unfair advantage and restore a level playing field.

Fact: Anti-dumping measures apply only to mesh that is dumped, not mesh manufactured in Australia or mesh imported from non-dumped sources.

Housing affordability is influenced by many factors, including land, labour, financing, planning and materials. Reinforcing mesh accounts for only a small proportion of the cost of constructing a home.  

It is estimated that, for builders importing mesh from dumped sources, anti-dumping measures would add less than 0.1%* to the build cost of an average home.

 

Note: *Assumes that approximately two tonnes of reinforcing mesh is used in an average 250m2 home, with an average build cost of $500,000. Interim dumping duty liability calculated on weighted average FOB export prices from China to Australia in August 2026. An interim dumping duty ad valorem rate of 28.5% was applied.

Fact: Dumping measures apply to specific products exported from specific countries only.  Anti-dumping measures don’t prevent imports. Australia imports steel products from around the world and will continue to do so.  

Investigation 692 is conducted independently by the Australian Trade Remedies Commission. The Commission initiated the investigation after determining there were sufficient grounds to examine allegations of dumping and injury to Australian industry. It has gathered information from manufacturers, exporters, importers and other interested parties and independently assesses the evidence.  

Any findings and recommendations are made by the Commission, not by InfraBuild.

Fact: Anti-dumping investigations do not stop goods from being imported. Importers remain free to source product from countries under investigation throughout the process. 

In the case of Investigation 692, imports continued to enter Australia throughout the investigation (commenced on 25 November 2025) and increased during the investigation period (1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025). 

The Australian Trade Remedies Commission assesses evidence and determines whether dumping and material injury have occurred. In the case of Investigation 692, imports of Chinese welded steel mesh notably continued to increase to levels not seen before while the investigation was underway.

Fact: Australia operates a WTO-compliant trade remedies framework. 

Australia's anti-dumping system is consistent with international trade rules and similar mechanisms are used by many countries around the world. These frameworks are designed to ensure domestic industries can compete fairly when dumping and/or countervailable subsidies causes material injury. 

Fact: Fair trade and free trade are not mutually exclusive. 

InfraBuild supports competition and regularly competes against both local and imported products. Anti-dumping measures are intended to address unfair trading practices, not legitimate competition. Australian manufacturers should be able to compete on price for comparable quality, service, innovation and efficiency within a fair market environment.

Key takeaway 

Australia should have both strong competition and strong domestic manufacturing.  

Investigation 692 is being assessed independently by the Australian Trade Remedies Commission under Australia's established WTO compliant trade remedy framework. The question before the Commission is not whether imports should be allowed, but whether dumped imports have caused material injury to Australian industry and whether any measures are warranted under the law.