Australia announces project to pressure businesses to buy Australian products

Australia announces project to pressure businesses to buy Australian products

As a result of the Future Jobs Forum, the Australian federal government on Thursday announced that it will expand plans that require big construction projects to use Australian-made goods.

Last year, the federal government required Commonwealth projects worth more than 19 million U.S. dollars will need to demonstrate Australian industry participation.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard ended Thursday's day-long closed forum announcing the rules will now be extended to cover states and private businesses, which received federal grants of 19 million U.S. dollars or more.

"This is all about giving Australian business a fair go that it deserves," she told delegates in the Parliament House of Canberra on Thursday. "If you want Australian taxpayers dollars, then you' re going to have to give Australian businesses a fair chance to compete for work."

Gillard also revealed companies that claim back tariff concessions for importing goods for multi-billion-dollar projects will now have to spell out what efforts they are making to involve Australian companies in their projects.

The Australian Workers Union's national secretary, Paul Howes, welcomed the announcement, saying that it is a good day for manufacturing and million plus workers in the sector.

Gillard also announced she would head a manufacturing task- force, which will include business leaders, unions and ministers, to ensure the private sector, especially big overseas-owned mining firms, is also pressured to buy Australian products.

The government will release a tourism strategy by the end of the year to help a sector also hit hard by the high dollar.

About 100 representatives from business unions, government and academia gathered for the Future Jobs Forum in Canberra of Australia. The major agenda for the forum include the changing structure of the Australian economy drivers of jobs creation and investment manufacturing and the impact of the high Australian dollar.

Editor: yan

English.news.cn   2011-10-06 23:17:15 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua)