seeks NAB meeting over offshore print furore

Philip Andersen, CEO of Printing Industries,, has written a letter to John Stewart, managing director and CEO of the National Australia Bank, seeking a meeting to discuss alternative tender approaches.

“The Australian printing industry produces some of the best quality, competitively priced print production in the world,” says Anderson.

“Our print companies should not be excluded from participating in the tender process simply because they are Australian companies and not based overseas,” he says.

“We fully understand and endorse the right of any business to pursue strategies to minimise their costs. Surely however, it should be left to the tenderer to determine how they would deliver their best price.”

Andersen says printing companies from Perth to Sydney have expressed outrage at the precedent-setting tender proposal. He claims a number of current National Bank customers are now considering alternative finance and account management options.

“We have hundreds of printing companies that bank with the National who have large accounts transacting many millions of dollars each year,” he said.

“We are receiving very vocal feedback, anger and dismay at both the tender and the National Bank's motherhood statement style response to the increasing number of letters of complaint and e-mails they are receiving from industry companies,” says Anderson.

Print 21 has received a huge number of emails urging government action since it was first exposed here: Tender outrage.

To reach the NAB and let them know what you think, Amanda Murray-Johnson is the corporate affairs manager for the bank, and can be contacted via email on amanda_j_murray-johnson@national.com.au.