The Export Council of Australia congratulates our member, Ms Dalene Wray, Managing Director of OBE Organic on winning the Chief Executive Women (CEW) Austrade Women in Export Scholarship in 2018. 

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.

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.

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 Australian Women's Leadership Symposiums are a national series of events focused on the experiences of women leaders in the contemporary workforce. Taking place in every state and territory capital between May and August, the Symposiums are an unparalleled gathering of the best and brightest female talent.

Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) play an increasingly important role in supporting global trade liberalisation.

Like many Australian companies, the road to export success was long and often bumpy for technology manufacturer Flavourtech. But after many years of persistence and strong commitment, the company is now tasting the fruits of its labour.

At the ECA we’re continuously working to help you succeed in international business. My job is to help lower the cost and complexity of you doing business by pushing the Australian Government to reduce regulations, improve its services, and expand access to international markets. It’s also to help you understand and work through any issues you might be having with government policies.

The year ahead is promising to be an exciting one for ECA research as we continue to highlight and promote international opportunities for Australian businesses.

Australia’s only IoT event dedicated to the future of manufacturing Industry 4.0, the 4th industrial revolution, smart manufacturing, digital factories…these are some of the phrases being used today to describe a series of game-changing innovations that are changing the way products are manufactured for ever.

In partnership with HSBC Australia, the ECA recently launched the ASEAN Connected report to highlight opportunities in the southeast Asian region for Australian businesses. The ECA and HSBC are now pleased to promote the ASEAN Connected Toolkit – a series of practical resources for accessing opportunities under the various free trade agreements between Australia and ASEAN countries:

The ECA has highlighted to the government that changes to the temporary skilled work visas (457 visas) that adversely affect businesses, have the potential to disproportionately affect exporters.