Global Trade Updates

The Export Council of Australia (ECA) interviewed a Korean importer of Australian orange juice.

If you’re even thinking about doing business in China, the first thing you should do is protect your brand by applying for a trade mark in China. China’s first-to-file trade marks system means that registering as early as possible is the only reliable way to ensure the most efficient protection of your intellectual property in China and avoid bad faith trade mark registrations, a common problem in China.

I am pleased to launch a new guide to help Australian export businesses harness the power of e-commerce to expand into global markets. Developed by Austrade, Online Exporting: A Guide for Australian Business is a practical resource for exporters looking to access markets like China, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia.

Applications are now open for the 29th annual Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards. Whether your company is large or small, by winning an export award, you gain the opportunity to significantly raise your company’s profile, be exposed to valuable business and networking opportunities, and be honoured for your hard work and success before the who’s who of the Queensland international trade community.

Australian business leaders from a cross section of some of the country’s most iconic businesses, technology firms and arts institutions today joined in Canberra to spearhead an ambitious new project to rebrand Australia and reclaim Australia’s competitive advantage.

Australia’s exporters will be awarded for their work creating jobs and driving economic growth at the 56th Australian Export Awards. Nominations are now open for the 2018 awards program and I encourage all Australian exporters, large and small, to enter.

Applications for this year’s 30th Western Australian Industry & Export Awards are now open. WA businesses engaged in the global trade of goods or services are encouraged to apply today at  www.exportaward.com.au/wa for a chance to be recognised as among “the best of the best”, in WA and nationally.

The Australian Defence Export Office and Austrade have taken the first steps towards delivering enhanced export support for Australian defence businesses, signing a Memorandum of Understanding to engage dedicated local industry experts in key export markets.

Cashflow is one of the biggest challenges businesses face when exporting. Payment cycles can be very long, and you need to plan carefully to ensure your business has sufficient cash to cover multiple costs. Securing a source of cash to help support your export business growth can be difficult.

It’s been a great couple of months at the ECA since I started in March. I have been focused on listening to our valued partners and members, and I have already met many of you.

The preparation of export documentation can be confusing, time consuming, costly and prone to human error, and yet correct export documentation is vital for any exporter to transact business in an efficient and cost-effective way. This one-day workshop is aimed at companies looking to not only understand export documentation requirements, but also to train their staff in processing documentation correctly and efficiently.

With just two per cent of small businesses currently exporting, Leichhardt underwear and swimwear company aussieBum says its time more had a crack. Company founder Sean Ashby says if it wasn’t for exporting his company wouldn’t be around – aussieBum is now selling worldwide, producing one million garments a year.

The Export Council of Australia (ECA), along with our principal partner the NSW Government, and our 2018 award partners, are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2018 Premier’s NSW Export Awards. The 56th annual awards were officially launched on Monday 21 May at the Sydney Start Up Hub.

The digital revolution is here. It’s changing the way we live – and the way we do business. So why isn’t world trade moving with the times? Governments and regulators across the globe seem to be stuck in a time warp.

At the ECA we’re continuously working to help you succeed in international business. The policy team here aims to help lower the cost and complexity of you doing business internationally. We do this by pushing the Australian Government to reduce regulations, improve its services, and expand access to international markets. We’re also here to help you with any queries about government policy.

A key part of exporting successfully is protecting your intellectual property (IP). While it would be easy to file IP registrations in every market, it’s an approach that is neither practical nor cost-effective for most Australian exporters.

We have an exciting few months ahead as we look forward to the launch of two of the ECA’s flagship initiatives during the coming quarter, starting with the launch of our new Trade Barriers Register (TBR) next month and capping off with the results of our latest annual Australia’s International Business Survey (AIBS) over the winter. 

Budgeting strategically and building credit are just two critical steps for long-term financial success. Selling to clients in the same state, country, time zone and in the same language is hard enough. But exporting to foreign countries adds a whole new level of complexity to the mix such as currency fluctuation, shipping delays and non-payment. In fact, non-payment is one of the biggest fears for exporters. Fortunately (or unfortunately) you’re not alone. 80% of ultra-long overdue invoices that are greater than 120 days are uncollectable*.

The Export Council of Australia (ECA) interviewed a Korean importer of military clothing and tactical gear.

Ten New South Wales startups will have an exciting opportunity to meet with world-leading innovation experts in Tel Aviv, Israel, one of the most advanced innovation hubs in the world.

To help educate and guide you through the trade mark application process, IP Australia have developed Trade Mark Assist so you can understand how to protect your brand and gain the legal rights to it.

Australia welcomed a record 9.02 million international visitors in the year ending March 2018, an increase of 7.7 per cent on the last 12 months, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today.

Exporting businesses will have the opportunity to take part in a series of free workshops aimed at helping them on their export journey.

The Export Council of Australia, the NSW Government and ANZ are bringing two hours of power to Newcastle on the eCommerce opportunity! Businesses of all shapes, sizes and locations are using eCommerce to engage customers all over the world. eCommerce strategies are being used increasingly to find new customers, manage transactions and deliver goods and services to every corner of the globe from wherever you want to be.

Overall, this is positive budget for SME exporters. But it’s an incremental step forward, not a major leap. The government has rightly been a champion of trade and has trumpeted its achievements in signing FTAs, but if you want to grow trade, FTAs are only part of the answer. This budget goes some way to addressing SME exporters’ other needs—but there’s still more to be done.

Efic’s Export Line of Credit gave technology business, Seeing Machines, the ability to deliver 8,000 units of the Guardian driver monitoring system to a Thai-based transport logistics company.

Let me start by saying – not all customers are made equal. What I mean by this is that there are some customers who make exporting a breeze. They’re open and transparent; they pay on time and are responsive. They make consistent orders and in fact have expanded with your business. These guys are great but unfortunately, history tells us that this isn’t always reality.

Australian fruit and vegetable exporters wanting to go global can now access advice on every step of the export journey in a single online guide. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steven Ciobo, and the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud, launched, ‘Fresh fruit and vegetable export requirements: A guide for Australian business’ a Turnbull Coalition Government initiative ensuring Australia’s horticulture producers have the necessary information to capitalise on the sizeable business opportunities on our doorstep.

Women & Leadership Australia is administering a national initiative to support the development of female leaders across Australia’s international trade sector. The initiative is providing women with grants of between $3,000 and $8,000 to enable participation in a range of leadership development programs.

The Food & Beverage Exporters Forum is a rare opportunity to hear from Senior Buyers from international retailers including Planet Organic UK, Choithrams UAE, Village Grocer & Ben’s Independent Grocer Malaysia. The panel will share insights and trends about their markets and how to engage with them.