As the peak industry representative body of Australia’s textile and clothing industries the TFIA is heavily engaged in the development of policy and regulations with all tiers of Government. The TFIA is seen as the prime association to provide comment, assistance and direction to Governments in their policy development processes.
This position allows the TFIA and its members to have a direct say in how governments design and implement policies that will impact the Australian TCF industry. Through their past experience the management and Board of the TFIA have strong relationships with key Federal and State Ministers, their offices and senior public servants across a range of portfolios including Industry, Foreign Affairs, Trade, Environment and Education. These linkages allow the TFIA to quickly and efficiently respond to requests on behalf of members or from government.
All TFIA members are provided with an opportunity to comment on policy proposals through either TFIA Committees or in response to direct contact from the TFIA Secretariat. Currently the TFIA has a Board, Executive Committee, Clothing Division and a Textile Division upon which members can sit. The latter two groups are open to all members while the former are comprised of elected representatives from the membership. For issues of critical importance to the industry, the TFIA undertakes forums and seminars to ensure a free flow of ideas.
Where members have a particular issue that does not impact the majority of industry the TFIA is able to provide one-on-one personalised advice regarding the most appropriate path to be taken. Not only does this include identifying the best contacts but also assistance and advice on the necessary preparatory work required ahead of any meetings.
In addition to its domestic contacts the TFIA is also able to access current international thinking and policy developments through its relationships with global and other national textile and clothing bodies. The TFIA is a member of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation, International Apparel Federation and maintains strong working relationships with the American Textile Manufacturers Institute and the European Apparel and Textile Organisation (EURATEX). This allows the TFIA to bring into policy discussions a broader range of thinking and ideas, particularly in respect to trade and regulatory policy.
The remainder of this page details the TFIA’s current and past policy activities. For additional information on the TFIA’s policy and support services contact us.
View and download copies of all TFIA public submissions and position papers written in the last 2 years