The Impact of Manufacturing Protection on Agricultural Incentives in Australia

Manufacturing protectionism in effect amounted to anti-trade and anti-primary sector biases in the governmentÂ’s industry assistance policies. How extensive were those biases, and to what extent did they reduce agricultural incentives? What has happened to the export orientation of the various farm industries in the wake of the reform process? And how does the overall pattern of distortions that has evolved for Australia compare with that for other high-income countries?