Department of Trade and Industry (Australia)

Scope

• Trade and Commerce with other countries
• Activities arising from the international trade policies of Australia and other countries. Particular aspects covered include the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, quantitative restrictions, subsidies, restrictive business and customs practice, exchange arrangements, export incentives and overseas shipping policies;
• Negotiate and administer trade agreements and treaties;
• Deal with problems relating to the commodity policies of other countries which affect Australian international trade such as surplus disposals, stockpiling, barter arrangements and subsidies Assist Australian exporters and manufacturers to find markets abroad and publicise Australian goods in overseas markets by means of trade missions, exhibitions, publications films and press articles;
• Administer the Trade Commissioner Service which is responsible for investigating market prospects for specific commodities and finding new trade outlets for Australian manufactured products;
• Secondary industry;
• Encourage efficiency in industry, assist in the establishment of new industries and promote overseas investment in Australian industry Conduct surveys, reviews and studies of manufacturing industries and control the export of scrap iron and steel;
• Assist Australian industry to meet import competition by way of protective duties and bounties, analyse import statistics and estimate levels of future imports, and analyse requests for temporary protection.

  Structure