Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

Book Reviews | Gordon Campbell | Scoop News | Wellington Scoop | Community Scoop | Search

 

AUS: Widening Trade Deficit Highlights Challenge

23 September 1999

Widening Trade Deficit Highlights Challenge For Australia's Forest Industries

Another increase in the trade deficit for wood and paper products highlights the need for Australia to step up its efforts to market our unique timbers, the Minister for Forestry and Conservation, Wilson Tuckey, today.

Mr Tuckey said preliminary trade statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicated that the trade deficit for wood and paper products widened from $1.745 billion in 1997-98 to $1.963 billion in 1998-99.

"Australia's imports of forest products rose by a further 6 per cent to $3.26 billion in 1998-99, the second year in a row of imports have risen," Mr Tuckey said.

"This worrying trend can only be overcome when value-added timber products, including high-quality paper can be produced in Australia. This will only happen when investors, who in many cases need to have hundreds of millions of dollars through to the billions of dollars to get started, have the confidence that the RFA process will deliver a guaranteed wood supply and security to back the investment.

My Forestry Action Agenda process will build on the RFA agreements and legislation to provide the security for companies to invest in value adding timber processes," said Mr Tuckey.

A major factor in the rise was a jump in pulp imports, following reduced pulp production in Tasmania and increased use of imported pulp for paper production in Victoria. Pulp imports rose by $67 million to $193 million, and the volume of imports rose by 72 per cent to 310,000 tonnes.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Imports of paper and paperboard rose by 3.5 per cent ($59 million) to a record $1.76 billion, mostly as a result of an increase in the unit value of paper and paperboard imports. In contrast, the total volume of imports of paper and paperboard fell 3 per cent to 1.3 million tonnes.

After three years of strong growth, the value of exports of forest products from Australia fell by 2 per cent to $1.30 billion in 1998-99.

"The good news, is that these falls were partly offset by increased exports to several Asian countries of other forest products such as sawn wood, round wood, wood based panels and wastepaper.

"These increased strongly to levels above export volumes prior to the downturn in these markets in the first half of 1998. However, while export volumes were up, prices were well down across these products," Mr Tuckey said.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
World Headlines

 
UN News: Aid Access Is Key Priority

Among the key issues facing diplomats is securing the release of a reported 199 Israeli hostages, seized during the Hamas raid. “History is watching,” says Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “This war was started by taking those hostages. Of course, there's a history between Palestinian people and the Israeli people, and I'm not denying any of that. But that act alone lit a fire, which can only be put out with the release of those hostages.” More


Save The Children: Four Earthquakes In a Week Leave Thousands Homeless

Families in western Afghanistan are reeling after a fourth earthquake hit Herat Province, crumbling buildings and forcing people to flee once again, with thousands now living in tents exposed to fierce winds and dust storms. The latest 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 30 km outside of Herat on Sunday, shattering communities still reeling from strong and shallow aftershocks. More

UN News: Nowhere To Go In Gaza

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said some 1.1M people would be expected to leave northern Gaza and that such a movement would be “impossible” without devastating humanitarian consequences and appeals for the order to be rescinded. The WHO joined the call for Israel to rescind the relocation order, which amounted to a “death sentence” for many. More


Access Now: Telecom Blackout In Gaza An Attack On Human Rights

By October 10, reports indicated that fixed-line internet, mobile data, SMS, telephone, and TV networks are all seriously compromised. With significant and increasing damage to the electrical grid, orders by the Israeli Ministry of Energy to stop supplying electricity and the last remaining power station now out of fuel, many are no longer able to charge devices that are essential to communicate and access information. More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.