Tariff sized warning sign

16 January 2026

Master Builders Australia (MBA) opposes any moves to impose a tariff on aluminium window and door (AWD) imports from China due to significant adverse impacts it would have on the building and construction industry and the broader economy.

These concerns follow an application filed in October by the Australian Glass and Window Association and Ventora Group to the Anti Dumping Commission alleging that ‘the Australian industry producing aluminium windows and doors (AWD) has suffered material injury caused by the goods exported to Australia from China at dumped and subsidised prices’.

MBA CEO Denita Wawn has slammed this tariff application and proposal as outrageous, unnecessary and detrimental, should it be successful, as it would only inflate costs and adversely impact housing affordability for more Australians.

“There are those in the supply chain that appear to have moved to impose unjustified constraints on the industry and demonstrate themselves as commercially selfish.

“While we have achieved policy reforms from the Federal Government that have driven the cost of home building down, a tariff on critical imports would set us back significantly leading to a second-year housing shortfall and more unintended consequences.

“This will significantly increase home building costs and be damaging to our 33,000 members, which are 98% small Australian building and construction businesses, who rely on these compliant imports, as local manufacturing of AWD cannot meet demand and, in some areas, genuinely does not exist.

“Efforts to support local industry are appreciated however must be balanced against the need to support importing of products and materials when it is needed.

“A tariff would ultimately be borne by the home buyer and the broader community and should not be taken lightly. It will only serve to exacerbate current conditions by disrupting supply chains, creating material shortages and increasing costs.

“The cost of building products and materials have risen by 37.9 per cent since 2019 pushing up house prices, contributing to growing sentiment for many Australians that they will never own a home. This has been one of the reasons why building and construction output has become so much more expensive since the pandemic.

“In addition, the government should investigate and consult on alternative measures as this one size fits all solution put forward may not provide the support it intends to. It ignores a range of external factors that have put pressure on domestic manufacturing which have little correlation with the importation of products from elsewhere.

“With every $1 million of residential building work contributing over $2.5 million in extra economic activity, any move that would have an adverse impact on such activity must be avoided or else we will see a further deterioration in productivity and economic growth across the country.

“MBA is steadfast in its opposition to the proposed tariff on Chinese AWD and stresses that this application must not be taken seriously as the Government cannot afford to offset the work already undertaken by aggravating costs in other areas,” concluded Ms Wawn.

Media contact: Dylan Hafey, Media Advisor

0497 330 064 | dylan.hafey@masterbuilders.com.au