12 August 2010
3rd Annual Export Leaders’ Breakfast – Last few days to register!

To celebrate the success of Australia’s export heroes, the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies, Canberra Business Council and the ACT Government will be hosting the 3rd Annual Export Leaders’ Breakfast on 12 August 2010.

The breakfast will showcase some of Australia’s most successful export leaders including:
• Vivienne Lipke, CEO and Co-Founder, Icecraft International – 2009/10 Australian Export Hero
• David Gaul, President, CEA Technologies – 2009/10 Australian Export Hero
• Andreas Ruf, Executive General Manager, SMARTS Group – SMARTS is the global leader in market surveillance technology for exchanges, regulators and stock broking firms and 2009 Australian ICT Exporter of the Year

Time:               7:15am for 7:30- 9am; 12th August    
Venue:             Hyatt Hotel Canberra
Cost:                $45 for CBC and Network members and $60 for non-members    
RSVP:              Export Leaders 2010 07

The key announcement was the Coalition’s election promise to restore the $50 million funding shortfall to the Austrade administered Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) and restoring the EMDG cap to $200 million effective from 1 July 2011.

The Australian Institute of Export (AIEx) have been mounting a substantial campaign against the Government’s decision to reduce EMDG which has resulted in a multi-million dollar shortfall in the EMDG Scheme..

For a copy of Minister Truss’s speech CLICK HERE

by Gemma Hansen

Australian exporters have faced many obstacles over the past two years – a buoyant dollar making our products less affordable on the world stage, the global financial crisis, and now the reduction in funding of the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) scheme.

EMDG is a scheme that has been supporting Australian exporters for many years to launch their products internationally by funding a portion of overseas marketing costs.  However, in recent years the scheme has been underfunded and this is causing a great deal of uncertainty in the export community.  Austrade are currently receiving applications for 2009/10 expenses, but the prospect of a boost to business cash flow has been cut short due to the government announcing that funding of EMDG has been cut by $50M down to $150M.  A 25% reduction in funding from 2008/09.

A further announcement received in early July advised businesses that due to this underfunding of the scheme, first tranche payments for 2009/10 grants would be set at just $27,500.  This is a drastic cut from the $40,000 first tranche for 2008/09 and will see the number of businesses impacted by this underfunding increase from approximately 20% of all applicants to 50%.  A disastrous result for all businesses who have invested money in developing international markets with the understanding that the government would assist with up 50% of these costs.

Small to medium businesses rely on this scheme to take that first step onto the export stage.  Canberra business Seeing Machines have accessed EMDG funding over many years to grow their business to the point where the majority of their income now comes from international clients.  Belinda Burgess, COO of Seeing Machines says “Due to the nature of our business we were always going to get most of our revenue from overseas.  EMDG has been very beneficial to us in helping fund some of our international marketing expenditure and in the early years of the business we would have really struggled without it.  It’s disappointing that the government is not adequately funding the scheme going forward for the next group of companies trying to get a foothold in international markets.   We continue to see cutbacks in grant programs

that can only have a negative impact on the growth of Australian businesses and their ability to contribute to the growth of our economy.”

Grant applicants for 2009/10 can be approved for a maximum rebate of $200,000 but their first payment will only be $27,500 and then they will have to wait until June 2011 to see whether they will receive further funding.  This level of uncertainty makes it very difficult for businesses to sustain international growth.  Businesses new to EMDG such as iCognition Pty Ltd will go into a scheme that has been so beneficial for companies in the past, but provides no assurances for moving forward.

Joe Mammoliti, Director of iCognition says “iCognition is gaining a presence on the world stage for its innovative Diem Enterprise solutions and expertise in information management. The window of opportunity for our knowledge and products is rapidly evolving and it is important that we are represented internationally to maximize these opportunities.  There are many conferences and trade shows that we see as beneficial to our export growth, but we may have to reconsider how much international travel we can consider to do with the cuts to the EMDG scheme”.

The export community is campaigning for the government to provide an additional $50M to the EMDG scheme for 2009/10 grants.  We also need assurance that the scheme will maintain funding of at least $200M per year for future grant applicants.   The scheme can only be of benefit to businesses if they are certain that by spending their money under EMDG rules they will receive what they are entitled to.

In a media release by The Minister for Trade, The Hon Stephen Smith, he cites one of the reasons for the EMDG budget being cut by $50M is the Government strategy of returning the federal budget to surplus within three years.  Budget surplus will be achieved sooner by supporting exporters in their overseas activities rather than curtail their spending.  Greater promotion of Australian goods and services will drive increased export earnings which will only add to the budget surplus objective.

Gemma Hansen works for Export Solutions assisting Australian businesses access the Export Market Development Grant scheme.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

The Network’s major achievements in 2009/10 include –

• Nearly 800 registrations for ACT Exporters’ Network training, briefing or networking events in 2009/10 -  The Network has delivered Pitch Club sessions, Getting into Export workshops, Networking breakfasts and CEO Forums for the ACT export community.

• Shanghai Expo Focus Group – The ACT Government adopted several of the ideas and recommendations from the Network’s Shanghai Expo 2010 Focus Group including the concept behind ACTuality, a purpose-built website offering spectacular 360-degree aerial photography of Canberra institutions and attractions. 

• Successful nomination of Mr David Gaul as 2010 Australian Export Hero – The Australian Export Hero Award Program is run by the Australian Institute of Export (AIEX) and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to building Australia’s position and performance in international trade. 

• 2009 ACT Chief Minister’s Export Awards – With a record 21 finalists from across the ACT and Capital Region and 240 people in attendance, the ACT Chief Minister awarded environmental monitoring solutions company, Sentinel with the covetted ACT Exporter of the Year Award.   

• Development of an ACT Education Services Export Strategy – In March 2010, the ACT Education Services Export Steering Committee released the ACT Education Services Export Strategy.   Developed by representatives from the ACT’s higher education, VET and school sectors, the ACT and Australian Governments, and Canberra Business Council, the aim of the Strategy is to guide a substantial program of work in support of the Territory’s education.

• Submission of the TradeStart Tender Response – Canberra Business Council submitted a tender response for the provision of TradeStart services in the ACT & Capital Region in 2010-2014.  The Council’s tender response refers Austrade to recent reports that the ACT currently leads all Australian states and territories in terms of the proportion of exporting SMEs.  The June 2010 Sensis Business Index Report on Small and Medium Enterprises revealed that 15% of ACT SME’s had exported in the previous year compared to a 12% National average.

To read the entire list of the Network’s achievements in 2009/10 please CLICK HERE

QUESTION: Do you also provide vital information such as your pricing structure to the competitors? 
ANSWER:     Public information available on the GSA schedules program would be standard as in any channel to market (pricing, specs, value proposition). The US Government understands that they are “trade secrets” and will keep them in confidence accordingly. In regards to pricing structure, that discussion would need to happen with GSA directly when negotiating terms and price.

QUESTION: What are the benefits of the GSA?
ANSWER:     The US Government is the world’s largest marketplace with the US General Services Administration (GSA) operating as the government’s main acquisition service. It is through GSA and its procurement schedules that the government procures most of its basic services and needs. The GSA schedule contracts enables all authorised government buyers (military and civilian at the federal level, and some state and local) to purchase commercial good and services through pre-negotiated contracts. The schedules program is divided into individual sector-focused schedules (IT Services, Homeland Security, EmergencyPreparedness, et cetera) with subdivision in each schedule for specific products (i.e. lighting towers, road flares, safety gear).

An additional benefit of the GSA schedules program is when companies apply for a specific schedule they are painstakingly vetted by GSA. When a company is approved for a schedule it is like a government “seal of approval”. This approval is usually one of the first things potential government customers look for when conducting business.

QUESTION: Would it be worthwhile having a local USA company to do the application?
ANSWER:     That is really an individual corporate decision. GSA schedule applications are tedious and lengthily, that being said they are  manageable as long as you are committed to the process. If a company feels conformable to endeavour through the process themselves then great, but if its a complex or difficult offering (consulting, translating services, etc) then it might be worth contracting the work out. I will state though that having a GSA consultant can be costly ($15-30K) and would recommend thoroughly vetting any business prior to formal engagement. If requested Austrade is able to make referrals out on contractors.

2009/10 Australian Export Hero Award
In March 2010, the ACT Exporters’ Network was successful in its nomination for CEA Technologies President David Gaul to become a 2009/10 Australian Export Hero. The Australian Export Hero Award Program is run by the Australian Institute of Export (AIEX) and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to building Australia’s position and performance in international trade. David joins the likes of Wolf Blass AM, Ambassador for Wolf Blass Wines International, John Conomos AO, former Executive Chairman of Toyota Australia and Peter Beattie, Queensland’s Trade Commissioner to the Americas, becoming only the third Export Hero from the ACT. The other ACT Export Heroes are the Hon Tim Fischer in 2001 and Canberra’s own Brand Hoff, founder of Tower Software in 2006.

ACT Education Services Export Strategy
In March 2010, Canberra Business Council’s ACT Education Services Export Steering Committee released the ACT Education Services Export Strategy. Developed by representatives from the ACT’s higher education, VET and school sectors, the ACT and Australian Governments, and Canberra Business Council, the aim of the Strategy is to guide a substantial program of work in support of the Territory’s education export sector in its efforts to expand internationally in a sustainable way. A key focus of the Strategy is developing Canberra’s identity as Australia’s Education Capital through the development of a Canberra education brand.

Pitch Club
In August 2009, the ACT Exporters’ Network launched Pitch Club, a capacity building program which targets new to export companies. The aim of Pitch Club is to provide an opportunity for new and emerging exporters to ‘pitch’ their export objective and strategy to a panel of experienced exporters and industry specialists. Following each pitch, the panel of mentors will determine how best to support the business going forward. Six exporting businesses have been through the program to date with more to follow.

Getting into Export workshops
On 14 & 24 February 2010, the ACT Exporters’ Network in partnership with the Centre for Customs & Excise Studies and Austrade delivered Getting into Services Export and Getting into Products Export workshops respectively. The introductory workshops were designed for potential and emerging exporters who are looking to grow their business internationally. In total 13 exporting businesses attended the workshops.

International CEO Forums
The Network in partnership with Ernst & Young delivered International CEO Forums to provide an opportunity for the CEOs and Managing Directors of Canberra’s international companies, based in the ACT, including those ASX 500 companies to meet with peers to discuss business operations and emerging trends and opportunities offshore.

Individualised and cluster mentorship programs
The Network Manager continues to facilitate one-on-one individualised mentoring sessions between emerging exporters and senior members of the IBTF and ACT Exporters’ Network. Cluster mentoring support is also on offer for small groups including the Sport & Fitness Industry cluster.

ACT Exporters’ Network Website Launched
The ACT Exporters’ Network launched its new website – www.actexportersnetwork.com.au in July 2009. Utilising wordpress CMS, the site includes an events calendar, news posts, online membership forms and newsletter registration along with social media tools, RSS feeds and comments pages. The members’ area is currently under construction and will contain an information database, members contact details and information on mentorship programs.

Parliamentary Secretary for Trade Addresses Network
On 27 May 2010 the ACT Exporters’ Network welcomed the Parliamentary Secretary for Trade, the Hon Anthony Byrne MP to its monthly networking breakfast. In his speech, Mr Byrne acknowledged the Territory’s strong service sector which accounted for 98.9 per cent (or $1.014 billion) of the ACT’s total exports in 2008/09 and almost 2% of Australia’s total service exports. Following the address, the ACT Exporters’ Network has secured a meeting with the Parliamentary Secretary to discuss the ongoing provision of export assistance services in the ACT and Capital Region including the TradeStart Program.

Trade Start Tender Response Submitted
Canberra Business Council submitted a tender response for provision of TradeStart services in the ACT & Capital Region in 2010-2014. The Council’s tender response refers to recent reports that the ACT currently leads all Australian states and territories in terms of the proportion of exporting SMEs. The June 2010 Sensis Business Index Report on Small and Medium Enterprises revealed that 15% of ACT SME’s had exported in the previous year compared to a 12% National average.

Understanding the Importance of Incoterms when Exporting under Letters of Credit

Why are most US exporters still shipping “Freight Collect” when securing payment under a letter of credit (LC)? “We’ve always done it that way,” some will say. “We didn’t know it made a difference.” Or maybe it’s because they used these domestically, and kept it that way when they began selling internationally. For more, CLICK HERE.

What’s Considered a Violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act?

Times are tight—that pretty much seems to be the case across the board.  We have all heard the old adage, “You’ve got to spend money to make money.”  While I firmly believe this is true, there is a right way to spend money, and then there’s the way to spend money that lands you in a federal prison for a really, really LONG time.  That would be spending money in any way that violates the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). For more, CLICK HERE.

Service exports are the wave of the future, particularly in Virginia

Service exports are critical for Virginia’s future.  Recent estimates put the dollar value of services exported from the Commonwealth around $11.9 billion, with service industries employing approximately 2.5 million people, about 82% of the workforce. (BEA)  Undoubtedly, this reflects the importance of services to Virginia’s economy. For more, CLICK HERE.

Want more of the ’Beyond Virginia’ news letter? CLICK HERE.

The Hon. Anthony Byrne
Parliamentary Secretary for Trade
Address to ACT Exporters’ Network Breakfast
27 May 2010
Canberra

Introduction

Whilst there’s been much discussion about the Australian mining sector in recent weeks, this has probably perpetuated common misconceptions that this and agriculture are virtually the only forms of exporting Australia undertakes.

Whilst these sectors are undoubtedly very important components of our economy, I’m here today to emphasise a much under-acknowledge, yet hugely significant contributor to both the ACT’s and Australia’s international success – service exports. 

Services now make up two-thirds of the world economy.  They are the fastest growing component of world trade, and the core drivers of economic growth, development and employment around the globe.

It was only just recently that I made an address here in Canberra to the Australian Services Roundtable, so it gives me great pleasure to continue to stress the vital importance about Australia’s services export capabilities and success.

Services exports

There has been some dispute about what services are – and what they are not. The Economist magazine deftly provided the answer to this question by describing services – somewhat tongue-in-cheek – as ‘things you cannot drop on your foot.’
 

But however you describe them, services certainly matter to Australia. They account for 73 per cent of our GDP, and our services exports were worth some $53 billion in 2008-09 – a rise of more than 5 per cent on the previous year.

The growth areas were professional services, worth $3.7 billion, up over 12 per cent on the previous year, and education services, worth $16.6 billion, up more than 22 per cent on the year before.

The United States is our largest single market for services exports, as well as our most diverse.

Australia’s services exports to the US in 2008-09 topped $5.8 billion, which was increase of more than 6 per cent on the previous twelve months.

And services exports to China, our second biggest market, brought in $5.7 billion, a huge 15.7 per cent rise on the previous year. 

The ACT stands out amongst all Australian states and territories for the extent to which services dominate its export make-up. 

It’s noteworthy that the ACT’s service sector accounted for 98.9 per cent (or $1.014 billion) of the Territories total exports in 2008/09 and almost 2% of Australia’s total service exports.  

More specifically, a number of ACT services companies have been punching well and truly above their weight in the export game. 

For example, I note the success of a finalist in the Small Business Award category of the Australian Export Awards, Recruitment Systems, which since 2001 has grown to successfully work with around 200 separate recruitment industry clients to substantially improve their everyday workflow in key markets such as China, the Middle East and South East Asia.

Another award winning local services company of note is software document management developer Intelledox.  Starting as a small IT consulting firm, called DPM Consulting, creating bespoke software solutions for government and corporate clients in Canberra, Intelledox has now grown to be a truly international software business selling its products around Australia and to North America, the UK, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Papua New Guinea and South Africa.

Without doubt, the education sector warrants special mention in the ACT exporter context. 

The fact that education services make up the largest source of exports from the ACT is a testament to the quality of the educational institutions in this city, with the Australian National University (ANU), University of Canberra (UC), Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), and Australian Catholic University (ACU), all playing their part in establishing the impressive international reputation of ACT’s educational offering. 

Of particular note is the standing of the ANU, which has been ranked number one in Australia, top in the southern hemisphere, and 17th in the world by the UK Times Higher Education Magazine (2009).

The University is also ranked number one in the southern hemisphere by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education (2009). 

It’s worth emphasising the much under recognised role educational institutions can play in fostering closer international relationships, both in a business and political context.

EMDG helps many services exporters

I’d like to mention here that the Australian Government supports services exporters in a number of practical ways.

The Export Markets Development Grants Scheme, for example, can be a big help.

This key Australian Government financial assistance program for aspiring and current exporters encourages small and medium-sized businesses to develop exports markets.

I note that over the last several years an increasing number of ACT companies have taken advantage of the EMDG scheme, with 37 local firms receiving EMDG payments received in 2008/09, equivalent to $2m, which facilitated $18.8m of export sales.  Figures to date for the 2009/10 financial year shows 47 recipients, equivalent to the value of $1.4m which has facilitated $32m in export sales .

In 2008-09, over 4,000 Australian businesses received EMDG funding, and 62 per cent of these companies were in the services industries.

In fact, services industry recipients received a total of $113.5 million worth of grants – and they, in turn, generated $2.6 billion in exports.

Australia’s trade negotiations make an impact

Australia’s trade negotiations make an impact on services exporters, too.

Because services are so important to Australia’s growth and our economic future, we are keen to see an agreement reached at the multilateral level on services trade.

This is a position Australia expressed strongly at the Global Services Summit in Washington late last year.

Australia also has a number of Free Trade Agreements which help services exporters.

I’ll briefly mention a couple of small, but specific examples, where a Free Trade Agreement has helped a services sector.

Under the historic FTA between the ten ASEAN nations and Australia and New Zealand, which began on January 1st this year, Australian lawyers can now extend their working periods in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

And this Free Trade Agreement has also allowed Indonesian and Vietnamese law firms to have Australian lawyers working within their practices.

The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement allows Australian companies to compete in the US market on equal terms with local businesses in most service sectors, including professional, education, business, environmental and transport services.

A major beneficiary of the FTA between Australia and the US has been our defence export industry exemplified by ACT firm CEA, whose President David Gaul has been made a 2010 National Export Hero.
Building Brand Australia

We are constantly looking at new ways to help our exporters, so I want to tell you something about the work being done to enhance our national image.

We Australians already have a national image, of course, and it’s by no means a bad one.

Ask people around the world what comes to mind when they think of Australia and you’ll hear that we are friendly, bathed in sunshine, and are lucky enough to have an unspoiled, natural environment.

All true. But we are much more than that.

Australia is a global participant on the world stage, and we make major contributions in many areas – from the shape and development of the G20 to work on nuclear non-proliferation.

We need to market ourselves better. Australia is a global participant on the world stage. 

We have made many important advancements in technology which have benefitted others – WiFi technology, the bionic ear and a vaccine for cervical cancer. 

We should be better regarded as a dynamic and creative nation, a good global citizen and a strong business partner.

And our creative sector has notched up many significant achievements, well beyond what you would expect from a nation of 22 million people.

But these successes are not always widely known.

Our national reputation – our national brand – needs to be updated to reflect the reality of our society, our economy and our culture.

And that is what we are doing – updating our brand – with a four-year $20 million dollar program to sell Australia to the world.

Australia’s new brand – Australia Unlimited – was launched in Australia by the Minister for Trade, Simon Crean.

Our new brand is aimed at taking us beyond tourism messages.

It will deliver a national brand for Australia through a consistent image and consistent message.

It is about positioning Australia for the 21st century and about showing Australia as what it is – a country of innovation with a diverse, multi-faceted, multi-cultural society which can produce excellent goods and services and export them to the world.

Australia’s new brand will be critical for our services industries.

Services, by their very nature, are more affected by how they are perceived than products such as iron ore or wheat.

One could say that image matters more where perception is a key driver for acceptance and sales.

Unquestionably, an up-to-date brand for our country – a brand which is more widely known around the world and which better reflects our reality – can only help all of our exporters.

It is noteworthy Australia Unlimited was launched internationally just last week by the Minister Crean, at the Shanghai World Expo. 

I note with interest that also last week, the ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope, launched to much fanfare the ACT’s ACTuality web site as part of the ACT’s contribution to the Expo. 

This site is something Canberran’s should justifiably be proud about. 
Conclusion

Let me conclude by reminding you that the Australian Trade Commission – Austrade – can help you to export your services.

Austrade’s specialists can assist you in selecting an export market and help you to develop a market strategy. 

They are there to provide specialist coaching, opportunity matching, and industry specific advice.

And in market, they can advise you when you are visiting a new market, support you when you are on-the-ground far from home, and arrange for you to take part in trade missions to open up new parts of the world to what you have to offer.

So do avail yourself of these services.

Thank you.

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Media Release

 27 May, 2010

SERVICES EXPORTS VITAL TO AUSTRALIA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH

 
Parliamentary Secretary for Trade, Anthony Byrne said services exports were of fundamental and increasing importance to the Australian economy, with this sector the fastest growing component of world trade, and the core driver of economic growth, development and employment around the globe.

Speaking at ACT Exporters’ Network Breakfast today, Mr Byrne said services now make up two-thirds of the world economy.

“Australia is in a great position to leverage this sector; services account for 73 per cent of our GDP, and our services exports were worth some $53 billion in 2008-09 – a rise of more than 5 per cent on the previous year,” said Mr Byrne.

“The growth areas are professional services, worth $3.7 billion, up over 12 per cent on the previous year, and education services are worth $16.6 billion.

“Australia’s services exports to the US, our largest single market, topped $5.8 billion in 2008-09, which was an increase of more than 6 per cent on the previous twelve months.

“The ACT stands out amongst all Australian states and territories for the extent to which services dominate its export make-up. 

“It’s noteworthy that the ACT’s service sector accounted for 98.9 per cent (or $1.014 billion) of the Territory’s total exports in 2008/09 and almost 2% of Australia’s total service exports.

“The Australian Government is working actively on a number of levels to support the growth of this sector including;

• Working towards an agreement, at the multilateral level, on services trade, which is a position Australia expressed strongly at the Global Services Summit in Washington late last year.
• The Australian Government’s Export Markets Development Grants (EMDG) Scheme supported over 4,000 Australian businesses in 2008-09 with EMDG funding, and 62 per cent of these companies were in the services industries.  In fact, services industry recipients received a total of $113.5 million worth of grants – and they, in turn, generated $2.6 billion in exports.

Mr Byrne said the other key aspect of supporting the continued growth of our services sector is the four-year $20 million dollar program, Building Brand Australia, which was launched internationally a few weeks ago by the Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, at the Shanghai World Expo.

“Building Brand Australia is about positioning Australia for the 21st century and about showing Australia as what it is – a country of innovation with a diverse, multifaceted, multicultural society which can produce excellent goods and services and export them to the world,” said Mr Byrne.

“Australia’s new brand will be critical for our services industries. Services, by their very nature, are more affected by how they are perceived than tangible products such as iron ore or wheat. One could say that image matters more where perception is a key driver for acceptance and sales.”

He reiterated the Government’s commitment to the Doha Round of the World Trade Organisation and the General Agreement on Trade in Services; Australia’s six Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), with another seven FTA’s in the pipeline including with Japan and China, and two more under consideration with India and Indonesia; their pledge to undertake microeconomic reform including reducing red tape and other impediments to business, and the list goes on.

However when the 2010-2011 Budget was handed down on 4 May 2010, ACT exporters got an almighty shock. The Rudd Government announced that funding for the Austrade administered Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) scheme would be cut by $50M.

The EMDG scheme provides financial assistance to small and medium-sized Australian businesses to develop export markets by reimbursing up to 50% of eligible export promotion expenses above a threshold of $10,000. In addition to the budget cut, is the very real risk that the EMDG scheme will fall short this year by an estimated $30million leaving many ACT exporters short-changed only receiving a proportion of their total grant payment.

The Government also announced in the budget that the TradeStart Program, a co-funded partnership with State and Territory Governments, industry associations and regional development boards to deliver export assistance to small to medium enterprises would continue for another 4 years, albeit with its program budget halved.

Many ACT firms have benefitted from this Program over the 8 years that it has been operating in the ACT. Many have gone on to become sustainable exporters generating jobs for local people. It would be a pity if budgetary constraints saw the delivery of this Program in the ACT in any way curtailed.

Given this uncertain export assistance environment, the ACT Exporters’ Network was pleased to welcome the Parliamentary Secretary for Trade, the Hon Anthony Byrne MP as its guest of honour at its May Business Briefing function.

The ACT business community were keen to hear from the Parliamentary Secretary the rationale behind these cuts. Austrade and the programs it delivers are highly valued by industry and Government alike in the Territory and any diminution is viewed with some concern.

Mr Byrne began by acknowledging the Territory’s strong service sector which accounted for 98.9 per cent (or $1.014 billion) of the ACT’s total exports in 2008/09 and almost 2% of Australia’s total service exports. The key growth areas are in “professional services, worth $3.7 billion, up 12% on the previous year and education services worth $16.6 billion to the Australian economy, up more than 22% on the year before” said the Hon Anthony Byrne MP.

Canberra Business Council and the ACT Exporters’ Network are well aware of the role education exports play in the local economy. The Council just last year established an ACT Education Services Export Steering Committee entrusted with developing an overarching Strategy for the sector which focuses on developing Canberra’s identity as Australia’s Education Capital, enhancing the student experience and strengthening local infrastructure i.e. accommodation and transport for international students.

If one international student spends, on average, $486 per week on the purchase of goods and services in the ACT economy, this translates to an overall economic contribution of $25,272 per annum. When multiplied by the total number of international students living in Canberra, the economic benefit to local businesses is substantial.

Mr Byrne did take the opportunity to promote the Australia’s new national brand, Australia Unlimited.

“We need to market ourselves better. Australia is a global participant on the world stage. We have made many important advancements in technology which have benefitted others – WiFi technology, the bionic ear and a vaccine for cervical cancer. We should be better regarded as a dynamic and creative nation, a good global citizen and a strong business partner” said the Hon Anthony Byrne MP.

Australia Unlimited, which was launched recently by the Trade Minister Simon Crean at the Shanghai World Expo, has been in development for several years. The new brand, which was tested across 14 countries, is an important development for Australian business operating offshore, especially for our ACT service exporters such as our education and training providers, ICT software developers and business and financial service exporters.

Following a lively question and answer session, Mr Byrne was able to address some of the Network’s concerns and undertook to convey the ACT export community’s views onto the Minister for Trade Mr Simon Crean.

The Network was very appreciative that the Parliamentary Secretary was able to attend its monthly networking breakfast to respond to questions surrounding the Government’s current export promotion policy. The Network has offered Mr Byrne a standing invitation to attend whenever his schedule allows.

If you would like a transcript of the Parliamentary Secretary’s speech please visit www.trademinister.gov.au/parlsec/ or contact Brooke Anderson on 0400 090 452.

The ACT Exporters’ Network is proudly sponsored by the ACT Government, Canberra Business Council, the Centre for Customs & Excise Studies and AusIndustry.

Yellow Edge and the ACT Government are offering one lucky member of the ACT and Capital Region business community the opportunity to be involved in an exciting initiative at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

The Challenge

The Leader’s Case Study Challenge (the Challenge) is a team based, competitive but friendly activity designed to encourage young and emerging practicing leaders in the ACT and Shanghai to develop innovative ideas in response to a complex case study.

The case study will be based on the theme of the Shanghai World Expo: “Better city, better life” and will be designed around a leadership challenge associated with living and leading in cities like Canberra and Shanghai.

The challenge will be managed by Yellow Edge in partnership with the China Executive Leadership Academy, Pudong (CELAP) and the ACT Government.

The Commitment

It is expected that the successful candidate will meet regularly with their fellow team mates (one from the community sector and one from the public sector) to work through the Challenge.  Yellow Edge will facilitate this and provide meeting and support facilities.

The ACT team will present the case study results as part of the ACT Government’s Trade Mission to China between 13-17 September 2010 which will be held at the Australian Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo in the presence of the Trade Mission delegation and invited guests.

Sponsorship

The Canberra Team will be sponsored by the Business and Industry Development Division, Chief Minister’s Dept and Yellow Edge through a scholarship that will include:

• International economy return airfares between Canberra and Shanghai;
• Full participations in the Global Leadership Practices Program conducted by Yellow Edge at the China Executive Leadership Academy in Pudong (CEALP) Shanghai between 13 -17 September 2010, including 5* accommodation and all meals; and
• Coaching, monitoring, facilitation and support of the Canberra Challenge Team in the lead up to the Challenge Presentation in Shanghai in September.

Nominations Process

Canberra Business Council together with the ACT Exporters’ Network are now taking nominations from the business community. 

For background on the Case Study download the following link Case Study Challenge Background

To express your interest please download and complete the official EOI form EOI – Case Study Leaders Challenge- May 2010.

Nominations close Tuesday 1 June (in just over a week’s time).

If you would like to discuss the opportunity in more detail please contact Brooke Anderson on (02) 6247 4199.