‘Tissue issue’ is on appeal for paper dumping
Indonesian paper company, APP, is courting public opinion as well as legal remedies to overturn dumping decision.
Tissue paper from Indonesia and China is attracting punitive import duty rates following a decision by the Department of Customs. In a judgement handed down in January the Minister found that tissue paper from APP is being imported into Australia at a price below the "normal value" of the goods in the country of export.
The finding has attracted trenchant criticism from APP, which has launched an appeal to have the dumping imposts overturned. According to Steve Nicholson, speaking on behalf of Paper Force, the matter is also being closely monitored by the Indonesian Government, which is considering whether the Australian findings are in breech of its World Trade Organisation obligations.
“It is hard to over estimate the gravity of the situation from the Indonesian point of view. This is beyond crying foul, or sour grapes. This is protectionism plain and simple,” he said.
“We believe Customs have got it very wrong. There is not the level of transparency in the decision that you would expect. My advice is that there is a definite error of law.”
The judicial appeal against the dumping finding is currently underway but Nicholson is not ruling out a further appeal to the Federal Court if necessary. He indicates that the dumping finding has stymied APP’s plans to build a converting facility in Australia.
The tissue issue has no impact on the continuing importation of printing paper from APP's Indoesian and Chinese mills by Paper Force.
