Australian commission to investigate footwear industry`s future
The Australian Productivity Commission (PC) is to hold an inquiry into the future of the country’s footwear, textile and clothing industry at the behest of the Federal Government, that has commissioned the inquiry to review the prospects for the industry once the current assistance programme runs out in 2005.
The Industry Minister, Ian Macfarlane, says a strategy is needed to make the industry globally competitive beyond 2005: "How quickly we can achieve that within the clothing, textile and footwear industry is one of the issues we want the PC to look at. What sort of assistance measures would be appropriate post 2005 is another area and certainly, in terms of the positioning the textile clothing as a globally competitive industry, is also an issue on which we want to see further detail," he said.
