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Northern Grampians Shire Council	
	
PB:CH-08 01 001A	27 May 2003
The Secretary
Review of TCF Assistance
Productivity Commission
PO Box 80
BELCONNEN ACT 2616
Dear Sir/Madam	
Review of TCF Assistance	
The Northern Grampians Shire Council wishes to bring to the notice of the Commission	
certain facts pertaining to the impact of tariff reductions on the Shire's TCF industry.	
The Council have been working for several years with our main TCF employer AUNDE	
Australia P/L to secure a cut and sew facility for the City of Stawell. This project was	
successful and came to fruition early this year with employment of an additional 130	
people at the AUNDE site bringing total employment to approximately 240 TCF workers.	
The cut and sew project progressed on the basis that tariff protection enabled the facility	
to be competitive against the existing supplier in Thailand. Benefits apart from direct	
employment have flowed to the Australian and our regional economy. Areas such as	
transport, machinery purchases and servicing, seating components, specialist design and	
computing skills along with the added spinoff of new wages income in excess of $50,000	
per week into the local and regional economy have made this a huge win for the company	
and Northern Grampians Shire.	
Should this industry be forced to close or return offshore to Thailand due to tariff	
reductions, our local government area will see job losses in excess of 150 workers. These	
workers are in the majority women with a strong representation of first time full	
employment catagories. This workforce has reduced Stawell's unemployment rate to one	
of the lowest in the region and in doing so removing a huge welfare obligation from the	
Federal Government.	
The Northern Grampians Shire Council strongly suggests the Federal Government 	
reconsider its proposed tariff cuts to the TCF industries. Council does not want to see	
Stawell's TCF industry powerbase be decimated with those TCF employees returning to	
the welfare area with closure of the TCF industries under reduced or no tariff protection.	
You s faithfully	
Peter Brooks	
Chief Executive Officer