Editing Frank Forde (section)

===Tariff policy===
{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeMDtHmPD_Q Newsreel footage of Forde as Minister for Trade and Customs] promoting [[Efftee Studios]] in 1931.}}
Forde was the "principal architect" of the Scullin government's policy of high [[tariff]]s, which aimed to reduce the effect of the [[Great Depression in Australia|Great Depression]] on secondary industries.<ref name=adb/> He introduced what ''[[The Canberra Times]]'' called a "tariff extravaganza", and was known as a staunch protectionist.<ref name=naa-before/> However, the government's measures had little effect on the economy.{{sfn|Brown|2000|p=242}} Forde was a supporter of the emerging Australian motion picture industry. Despite his reputation as a protectionist, he agreed to reduce the tariff on imported sound equipment from 60 percent to just 10 percent, after vigorous lobbying from [[F. W. Thring]].<ref name=fitzpatrick>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XQvWBQAAQBAJ|first=Peter|last=Fitzpatrick|title=The Two Frank Thrings|year=2012|publisher=Monash University Publishing|page=131|isbn=9781921867248}}</ref> In June 1931, he was invited to officially open [[Efftee Studios]], Thring's production studio in Melbourne.{{sfn|Fitzpatrick|2012|p=551}} He was "shamelessly cultivated as a good friend of Efftee, with an open invitation to look in on shooting and mingle with the stars".{{sfn|Fitzpatrick|2012|p=132}} One of Thring's investors was Tom Holt, the father of another future Australian prime minister [[Harold Holt]].<ref name=fitzpatrick/>