The Australian Steel Institute (ASI) has challenged the Productivity Commission’s (PC) interim finding rejecting safeguard protections for local fabricators, warning that cheap imports pose a severe threat to domestic manufacturing.
ASI Chief Executive Mark Cain expressed deep concern over the ruling against a global glut of heavily subsidised steel. The peak body is preparing a detailed submission to rebut the PC’s draft findings prior to final reporting.
Cain raised significant doubts regarding the accuracy and interpretation of data supporting the commission’s conclusions.
The ASI argues that the commission relied on general Australian Bureau of Statistics data rather than Australian Border Force import figures, creating inconsistencies in import volume assessments.
Furthermore, Cain noted that broad industry datasets fail to differentiate between locally fabricated steel and imported products sold by the same businesses, masking underlying financial distress within core fabrication operations.
“The timing could not be more critical for local steel,” Cain said.
“The Whyalla steel mill business is in administration, reliant on government support and progressing through a sale process that will determine its long-term prospects.”
Cain stressed that undermining domestic demand for Australian structural steel threatens investor confidence and the long-term viability of local rolling mills.
Without a thriving local fabrication sector, Australia risks becoming heavily dependent on imported structural steel for major infrastructure, transport, and rail projects. The ASI contends that domestic fabricators face severe financial injury from imported products and urgently require safeguard measures to preserve sovereign industrial capability.
“The ASI will do everything in its power to challenge this finding. The consequences for Australian manufacturing and the nation’s long-term industrial capability are simply too significant to get wrong,” Cain added.