Procurement Professional is the official publication of CIPS Australasia

'Buy-local' showdown at conference

29 Jul 2009

Cracks in Labor’s purchasing policy took centre stage at the 4th Annual Public Sector Procurement Forum in Sydney on Tuesday when finance minister Lindsay Tanner and New South Wales deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt addressed the issue of local sourcing.

 

Tanner used the conference to announce a package of reforms to “improve and foster greater transparency in government purchasing, improve value for money for taxpayers, and achieve better outcomes for small business, jobs and the wider community”.

Earlier, in her opening address, Tebbutt re-inforced the state government’s commitment to the promotion of local businesses in government procurement, explaining that the 20% price buffer for local bidders was already in place. She gave no indication of backing down from this position.

Tanner later rejected any “protectionist” measures, saying they threatened Australia’s international trade position. He also questioned the effectiveness of the measures and their practicality.

Tanner said the issue will be resolved this week at the Labor conference.

He said the government is committed to opening up the tendering processes of government to ensure improved accountability and to help firms to compete for government contracts.

"The Australian Government is one of the largest purchasers of goods and services in the country, procuring goods and services of around $24billion annually and helping generate jobs in communities across the nation,” he told delegates. "The Government is committed to continually improving the transparency of its purchasing activities so that the community knows where its dollars are spent and that business is fully informed about Commonwealth tender opportunities.”

The minister announced the appointment of a Procurement Coordinator who will oversee the Commonwealth procurement practices and policies.