by Cam Lucadou-Wells
A 169-year-old glass manufacturer based in Dandenong South has collapsed after warning of the impact of cheap imports being dumped in Australia.
Oceania Glass was announced as in the hands of voluntary administrators at Grant Thornton Australia on 4 February.
The business will continue to trade during the voluntary administration period, with a view to selling to an “appropriate buyer”, the administrators stated.
According to its website, Oceania Glass sold its first glass in 1856 and is Australia’s only maker of architectural glass.
Its products were used on “iconic” buildings such as Parliament House in Canberra, its website stated.
Last year, Oceania Glass submitted to the Anti-Dumping Commission that the Australian industry had suffered “material injury” as a result of clear laminate glass imported from Thailand and China at dumped and subsidised prices.
The Commissioner launched an investigation as a result.
South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance chief executive Honi Walker said Victorian manufacturers were “at a crossroads”.
“We simply can’t compete on price from China and other Asian countries.
The loss of “sovereign capability” on an “essential product” would cause homes to cost more and take longer to build with “unsafe” overseas glass, she said.
“What our governments have completely ignored is safety.
“Imported steel from China does not meet Australian Standards and was the reason the new stand at GMBH Stadium collapsed in 2023 and the Kew Recreational Centre’s roof caved in.
“Lives are at risk on many levels.”
Walker called for the reinstatement of federal anti-dumping laws to stop “cheaply, poorly made products being dumped in Australia and used on vital public projects”.
As well as the State Government to “start applying their own Local Content Jobs First policy”.
Last week, SEMMA unveilled a pitch for a halving of the company tax rate from 30 per cent to 15 per cent for Australian manufacturers.
Grant Thornton joint administrator Lisa Gibb stated that it was “extremely difficult time” for Oceania Glass employees and families.
The company would meanwhile continue to trade with a view of selling to a “going concern”.
“We understand the role the company plays in the Australian construction sector… we will work to mitigate the potential disruption to customers and the broader sector.
“If an appropriate buyer cannot be found during the Voluntary Administration period and the Administrators are faced with the difficult decision to shut down the business, we believe this period will allow customers to make alternative sourcing arrangements and significantly reduce disruption to the broader construction industry.”
A creditors meeting is set for Friday 14 February, 11am.
