A new website launched by BlueScope Steel, CSR and Boral, which is being marketed as a community site for manufacturers to discuss issues affecting their businesses, is pushing an anti-carbon-tax agenda.
Though the site provides information on the carbon tax, innovation, sustainability and other major issues affecting manufacturers, it also contains a page of information called Carbon Tax Facts slamming the carbon tax as a threat to industry.
The site, called Manufacturing Australia, encourages manufacturers to have their say on topics affecting their businesses, and provides links to recent news stories posted on media websites around the country on these issues.
The site is a joint effort by BlueScope Steel, CSR and Boral, and was announced at last week’s Manufacturers Monthly Endeavour Awards in Melbourne.
The site features dedicated information pages on the carbon tax, innovation and sustainability, with the carbon tax page providing information designed to skew readers against the tax.
“Australian-made products and exports will be taxed. Imports will be carbon tax-free. That will hurt Australian jobs, business and investment,” the site says.
“The carbon tax will not reduce the emissions of Australian manufacturers. Australians will continue to use manufactured goods – why put our manufacturing industry at risk just to import products from overseas.
“It is not fair to tax Australian manufacturers and risk large numbers of jobs, while imports get a free ride.”
The website’s dedicated ‘innovation’ page accuses the government of standing in the way of industry innovation.
"The Australian Federal Government currently has a bill before Parliament to abolish the Research & Development (R&D) tax concession and replace it with an R&D tax credit. The effect of this change would be to further narrow elligibility so that only a small core of research and experimental activities could benefit from the incentives," the page says.
The site also has a Facebook page. Visit the site here.