The Australian Glass and Window Association (AGWA) has warned of serious consequences for Australia's building sector and national housing supply targets unless more is done to protect the domestic glass and window industry from the effects of cheap imports.
The caution follows the appointment of an administrator to Dandenong-based Oceania Glass, Australia's only local producer of architectural glass. The company, which employs 260 people, has been a cornerstone of Australian manufacturing for 170 years.
Clinton Skeoch, CEO of AGWA, said the Oceania Glass situation underscores the ongoing threats the industry is facing from cheap imported products and global trade uncertainties.
"Australia's $6 billion glass and window industry employs thousands of people and is a vital part of our national construction supply chain, but it is facing significant pressure that threatens its stability," Mr Skeoch said.
"Our members are constantly being asked to compete against cheap imported products that increasingly skirt Australian safety and quality standards.
"That is placing tremendous strain on businesses and workers and fuelling genuine concerns of a domino effect that will see other companies suffer the same fate as Oceania Glass.
"Every manufacturer we lose weakens our sovereign capability to build locally. If more Australian glass and window businesses are forced to close their doors it will rob our construction sector of decades of expertise and crucial manufacturing capacity during a chronic national housing shortage.
"That is why our remaining glass processors and window fabricators, and those in other sectors, need both State and Federal governments to act urgently to level the playing field and safeguard Australian jobs and expertise," Mr Skeoch said.
AGWA said Australia was at risk of a flood of foreign dumping as new global tariffs caused mass trade uncertainty. It backed calls from fellow industry bodies for a multi-pronged response to prevent the further erosion of our domestic manufacturing capabilities, including:
• Stricter enforcement of quality standards for imports • Stronger protections for local manufacturers
"These measures aren't just about protecting jobs or our manufacturing heritage – they're about maintaining Australia's ability to build its own future," Mr Skeoch said.
Key Facts:
* Australia's $6 billion glass and window industry employs thousands of people and is a vital part of our national construction supply chain, but it is facing significant pressure that threatens its stability.
* Australia was at risk of a flood of foreign dumping as new global tariffs caused mass trade uncertainty.
* AGWA is calling on both State and Federal governments to act urgently to level the playing field and safeguard Australian jobs and expertise.
