Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has written to all Ministers encouraging them and their departments to buy Australian paper.
Mr Chester said all Ministers and government departments using imported paper in their offices should switch to Australian Paper.
“I cannot understand how it could even be possible that paper imported to Australia from Germany, Austria or Indonesia could compete with an Australian made product on price, quality or environmental credentials,” Mr Chester said.
“Opal Australian Paper is one of the largest private employers in the Latrobe Valley providing more than 1000 local jobs and supporting the local economy.”
Mr Chester said he had been a long-term advocate for all government departments to buy more Australian-made copy paper and would continue to do so.
“I understand that due to COVID-19 there was disruption to local production and distribution seeing an increase of paper sourced from overseas, however, now that this issue has been resolved I would expect a return to Australian-made paper being used,” Mr Chester said.
“As we recover from the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, it is incredibly important that we support local businesses, particularly in regional Australia.
“This is a very important Australian industry. It is a very important Gippsland industry.”
