THE AUSTRALIAN STEEL ASSOCIATION INC

The Australian Steel Association Inc (ASA) is an incorporated non profit organization formed in 1978 with the aim of promoting the use and open trade of steel in the Australian and New Zealand region. Our members are all related to the steel industry whether they be local or international manufacturers, traders, stockists, end users or service providers. The Association encourages direct contact between all its members to keep each member informed of global and domestic market trends and sees its primary roles as a forum to bring together the multitude of interests involved either directly or indirectly in the steel industry and growing the markets for intermediate steel products.

The ASA supports the need for a viable, efficient and responsive domestic steel industry and has been focused in the past on ensuring Australia has a truly competitive market supply for all domestic users and converters of steel products by an active and competitive import sector of intermediate steel products for further value adding domestically. These imports generally have resulted in the domestic suppliers becoming more cost efficient producers of steel specialising in those products they can produce at world competitive prices.

The Association's view is that by promoting a competitive market environment and direct contact by all interested parties, a more efficient and market receptive steel industry will result. In this environment the Australian steel industry as a whole, rather than any particular interest groups within, can only benefit. A competitive efficient domestic steel industry will ensure sustainable long term employment of people in Australia and New Zealand, especially in the downstream value adding manufacturing sectors, as without a viable domestic customer base, there is no need for local steel production.

The ASA openly promotes the economic growth of steel consumption in Australia and fully supports the importation of fairly priced intermediate steel products required by Australian steel users and consumers in the manufacturing, mining, commerce and rural sectors.

Australian industry, in the ASA view, therefore comprises downstream users and converters of steel products and not just the local producers of the steel products in question.

The ASA is proactive on industry and trade issues for ensuring the interests of its member companies, involved in the importing, exporting, marketing and logistics of steel products, are taken into consideration.

Australian steel producers have demonstrated their preferred mechanism for dealing with import competition by resorting to the lodgment of applications for anti-dumping measures and the ASA's primary agenda for 2007 is to effect changes to how the 'dumping' process and policy is driven in this country including:

• Prior to the imposition of any measures, due consideration of the impact dumping actions and measures have on downstream steel users
• An analysis of the wider economic effect of penalty dumping duties
• Clarification on 'industry standing' so as to exclude producers who are also importers of the goods they claim are being dumped
• Inclusion of affected interests in the initial screening process of applications
• Appointment of a 'third umpire' type referee to preclude capricious type applications being lodged
  
  AIMS
• sustaining truly competitive markets for steel users
• growing the market for intermediate steel products
• maintaining a customer receptive efficient domestic industry
• providing the basis for networking and exchanging views
• ensuring the interests of member companies and their downstream

This web site is designed to help promote the activities of both the Association and its members and new members are encouraged from both inside and outside Australia.