MEDIA RELEASE AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR TRADE MARK VAILE
MVT31/99	2 October 1999
Opportunities in Japanese Housing Market

Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, today said Australian builders and housing material suppliers stood to benefit from reforms being made in Japan's building sector.

"Australian housing and building material exports to Japan in 1998 were $55 million. But the potential for these exports to expand will be increased by signs of recovery in the Japanese economy," Mr Vaile said.

His comments were made during a visit to an innovative Australian engineered and built house in Tokyo where he was briefed on the Australian success story.

Engineered and constructed by Huxley Homes, the house incorporates a number of innovative features uniquely suited to the Japanese market.

In briefing Mr Vaile, CEO Mr Graham Huxley said after successfully suppling two prototypes into the Japanese market, he was now set to supply 10,000 units per year.

"Mr Huxley's success is an example of how Government and industry can work together to achieve orders and market access solutions overseas," Mr Vaile said.

"The Australian Government has worked closely with the Japanese Ministry of Construction for the past four years and has achieved a number of important concessions and breakthroughs," Mr Vaile said.

These include:

• Article 38 systems approval for Australian steel-frame housing technology;
• Designation of CSIRO as a Japanese fire prevention testing body;
• Secondment of a Ministry of Construction official to Australia for a two year period who is acting as a point of contact for Australian industry wishing to enter the Japanese housing market;
• Agreement to allow Australian industry and government to provide comment on new Japanese government laws and regulations in advance of the laws being implemented;
• A regular dialogue between relevant officials and industries of the two countries which has allowed Japan to study and incorporate elements of Australia's performance based standards into Japan's new building reform laws and regulations.

"While the work of the Australian Government will continue, the initiative is now very much with Australian builders to emulate the success of Huxley Homes," Mr Vaile said.

Further details on Huxley Homes and its success in Japan - See Attachment A

For further information contact:

Minister's Office - Bruce Mills (02) 6277 7420 Department - Tony Melville (02) 6261 1555