defence offset agreements, page-2

When I was involved in govt procurement (long time ago now) offsets were a way to prop up local industry by requiring suppliers to source certain components from local suppliers (WA called them associated benefits).

As I understand this has largely disappeared in Aust Govt purchasing, except it appears in defence. Defense purchasing is exempt from almost all free trade rules, as a result is even more corrupt than agricultural markets, these last have been the subject of the DOHA rounds. DOHA failed as far as I can tell due to French intransigence.

One proposal to arrest the current manufacturing decline is to reintroduce "offset' type rules for the mining industry.

Just a note from history