CANBERRA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Government needs to promote use of Australian steel for upcoming infrastructure projects to protect the steel industry, the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) said on Friday.

    "It is completely reasonable that if we are going to put billions upon billions of our (tax) money into these infrastructure projects that Australian-made steel is being used for those taxpayer-funded projects," AWU national secretary Paul Howes told reporters in Canberra.

    The AWU's ten-point plan that has promoted to the federal government, advocates partnerships between steel companies and unions to improve productivity and achieve wage restraint.

    "One of the issues we look at in our 10-point plan is the need to create an Australian steel price monitor and to have a more aggressive approach in monitoring dumping of steel around the world. The union will be taking action if need be," Howes said.

    According to the plan, the government should promote use of Australian steel in infrastructure projects to be announced in the budget and step up measures to ensure cheap foreign steel is not dumped on the Australian market at below production cost.

    Howes said Australian steel was of high quality but it could not be sold at any price to anyone because of the global credit crunch.

    "The best way to do that is through economic stimulus packages and through ensuring that when we are investing large amounts of taxpayers' dollars into road, bridge and tunnel projects, that we are using Australian-made steel," Howes said.