Duties of between 37% and 53% are to be slapped on unfairly priced Chinese steel by Australia’s Federal Government with a view to helping South Australian steelmaker, Arrium, remain competitive. The company, which recently announced debts of $4 billion, has gone into voluntary administration.
Australia’s industry minister Christopher Pyne has said that rod and coil will be subjected to duties of between 37% and 53% and rebar will have between 11% and 30% tariffs added.
Scott McDine, the Australian Workers Union’s national secretary, praised the new measures, but said they were not enough for workers at Arrium’s Whyalla steelworkers.
Whyalla produces structural steel and rail products, which are not covered by the recently announced duties, which have been in force since 22 April.
Pyne claims that the Government has been acting within WTO rules.
• The Federal Government of Australia has 44 anti-dumping measures in place applying to 12 steel products from 14 countries, but its new duties do not breach Australia’s free trade agreement with China.
Source: Australian Broadcasting Company.