Aust, decision ‘mistake’

Press, 16 August 1980, Page 6

Aust, decision ‘mistake’

PA Wellington! The Australian decision to opt out of the apparel section of N.A.F.T.A. was a mistake, said the Acting; Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Adams-Schneider) on his return from Canberra yesterday. “I think the Australians made a mistake but that is their business,” he said. “1 felt, and I still feel, that the Australians had a preferred place in our market and they don’t have now.”

Mr Adams-Schneider said; the Australians had held outi for dohar-for-dollar access:; they wanted to send to New' Zealand the same value of clothing as . New Zealand manufacturers sold in Australia. . New Zealand exported garments valued about $l4 miPion a year to Australia under the agreement, while Australia sent clothes valued about $8 million to New Zealand. i Mr Adams-Schneider said; that dollar-for-dollar equality!

was impractical because of ithe difference in the size of jthe respective markets. ' “I think for us to sell $l3 to $l4 million ... is a very fair position. But the Australians wanted one-for-one trading. The Textile and Garment Manufacturers' Federation of New Zealand did not support that but 1 don’t think that’s a fair go, having regard to the size of . the New Zealand market and • the size • of the Australian 'market.”