The ASI congratulates the Australian Government and Australian Industry Group (AiG) on the appointment this month of Arthur Vlahonasios as International Trade Remedies Adviser. The ASI has welcomed the new move to strengthen the nation’s anti-dumping regime. The new position is hosted by AiG and funded by the Australian Government as a pilot project until 31 December 2013.

Mr Vlahonasios has extensive experience in anti-dumping from working for the International Trade Remedies and Legal Services Branches in the Customs and Border Protection Service since 2004 and serves in the new role whilst on leave from Customs. He will primarily work with small and medium businesses (SMEs) to help them prepare and substantiate applications for dumping and countervailing investigations, reviews and continuation inquiries.

ASI Chief Executive, Don McDonald said the new move was the right one to facilitate fairer outcomes and encourage more confidence in Australia’s trade policy regime throughout the local supply chain as industry confronts some of the most challenging market conditions ever. “As the majority of our members are SMEs with less than 200 employees, the new role provides support where it is definitely needed in assisting those businesses that commonly lack the resources to strongly contest unfair trade practices,” he said.

“The ASI supports recent changes to strengthen the anti-dumping regime, including making it easier for SMEs to access the system which this appointment will greatly assist in doing. Anti-dumping is a right that countries have under WTO rules and policing this helps support fairer trade by making sure that countries operating in an increasingly free international market play by the rules. We already have a few members looking closer at using the anti-dumping system on countries that cheat on WTO rules. We look forward to working closely with the AiG and Arthur to maximise the benefits of this appointment for the steel industry.”