Go-Ahead For FWPA

20 June 2007
Forest Wood Products Australia (FWPA), an industry-owned marketing, research and development company, has the go-ahead after parliamentary approval on June 15.
FWPA will extend the activities of the current Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation (FWPRDC) to include generic marketing and promotion of forest and wood products.
The Forestry Marketing and Research and Development Services Bill (and related bills) was considered recently by the Senate Legislation Committee for Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport, and was passed by both houses of parliament.
Chief executive of the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) Catherine Murphy said establishment of FWPA would be an enormous boost to the forest industry; it would be able to communicate the industry’s environmental friendly practices and the environmental credentials of the industry’s products.
“FWPA will benefit Australia’s economy by opening new markets both domestically and internationally, enhancing the potential of Australia’s $18 billion forest and wood products industry,” Murphy said.
Research and development will remain a core focus of FWPA.

A3P Concern On Asian Paper Prices

The chief executive of the Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council (A3P) Neil Fisher has met with the Australian Embassy Minister in Beijing Graham Fletcher to discuss concerns about recent import prices of copy and tissue paper from some southeast Asian countries.
The concern comes to light after US manufacturers of woodfree papers launched an anti-dumping case against Korea, China and Indonesia.
A3P is concerned that some Chinese companies may attempt to avoid US tariffs by redirecting paper products into Australia.
“Imported paper products compete in the market place against Australian-made paper products, which are produced under world-class environmental standards across the entire value chain from plantation growing to paper manufacturing,” Fisher said.
“It is vital we don’t allow Australian paper manufacturing standards to be undermined by the dumping of products from countries with lower environmental standards.”
Mr Fisher provided the Minister with a copy of A3P’s Member Guidelines for stopping imports of illegally logged forest products into Australia. The guidelines provide A3P members with a practical framework for demonstrating the legality of their products.
China is a significant player in Australia’s $2 billion trade deficit in timber and wood products. Australia imported $191 million worth of paper and paperboard from China during 2005-06.

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