Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 39:28 to 46:28
Officials outline the 'Accessing New Markets Initiative' (AMNI) and efforts to diversify Australian exports, highlighting growth in the Middle East and the success of the Gulfood trade show.
Topics: Trade policy, Middle East trade
Speakers: Mr. Jay Meek, Dr Paul Grimes, Raff Ciccone, Daniel Boyer, Robin Mack, Mr. Daniel Boyer, Senator Raff Ciccone, Senator Sarah Henderson
>> Thank you, Senator. >> Thanks, Senator. Look, I've just got maybe a couple of questions just wanted to ask around um accessing new markets initiative and um how is this um accessing new markets initiative supporting Australian businesses to find new opportunities?
>> Well, the accessing new markets initiative um is intended to be delivered in conjunction with peak industry bodies. Uh OS trade's working very very closely with those bodies at the moment on the rolling out of the accessing new markets initiative. Um, Senator, we have a tendency to um to always give programs an acronym. Um, so we we refer to it as as the AMNI program. So if you hear officers referring it to as as Amni, it is the accessing new markets initiative. Um, 40 peak bodies have been selected to be particip participants I should say in a uh trade diversification network. We're working in close conjunction uh with those peak bodies to develop trade diversification plans with specifically focused activities to support the diversification of um Australian exports. At the same time, we're ensuring that there's an increase in our capacity and our international network to support the initiatives um being delivered through Amni. We've established a task force within Osrade. That TR task force is called the trade diversification task force. Our general manager who is the leader of the um uh uh task force, Mr. Jay Meek is with us this evening. Indeed, he's with us uh
here at the table. >> Well, hello. Um in terms of the trade diversification network, what sectors will benefit from the activities of this
network? >> I think I might hand to uh uh uh to uh Mr. to me to give you a sense of the broad ranging sectors that are represented in the trade diversification
network. >> Uh thank you Senator J general manager trade diversification task force. Um so in the formation of the trade diversification uh network we went through a competitive process to select peak bodies and um it would be fair to say there is representation from agri food consumer um technology health green economy defense and um first nations and more broadly multis sectoral peak bodies that as um uh Dr. Grimes mentioned that we're actually in the process of building plans for that diversification. So it's quite broad in terms of covering the Australian economy where the support will for will form around this diversification work.
>> And I guess in addition to the um amni amni acronyms with defense yesterday um what has the government done more broadly to diversify our trade relations and deliver for our exporters?
So um through this program that um we have basically been um whilst we've been working with peaks to build their plans that we've been focused on um enhancing some activities around the world and a good example of that recently is um golf foods in the Middle East >> that we scaled that up. There are over a 100 Australian companies that were present into that market. A very strong growing market for Australian agri food exports in particular. um and others and we've utilized that that funding for that type of work and obviously allowed us to use the free trade agreement that has also come into play.
>> Yeah. Because that >> was it the end of January the G foods was that something or where Senator Farrell went
>> correct? Yes. >> Senator Daniel Boyer um deputy CEO trade investment if you don't mind I'd add because you asked more broadly about what the government was doing. Um, I'd also add the Southeast Asia Business Exchange, um, which has seen, uh, us drive, um, exporters into, um, the new and quite exciting markets in in Southeast Asia. Um, I would also add the the South Asia um, business exchange and the work that we've done in particular in India, but also uh, into other parts of that region like Bangladesh as well. Um all of those have really uh seen us um uh diversify our um our our base of exporters into into markets that traditionally have not been uh dominant in our uh in our trade figures. So and as Mr. Meek mentioned um uh with the UAE uh SEA coming into force uh events like Gulf food are really important as well to help sort of drive us into that part
of the world too. I was just about to ask about the Middle East and obviously the UAE. Um uh there so many great opportunities I think that will come out of that agreement, but also more broadly in that um part of the world and the the footprint that I think the UAE provides Australia's exporters and businesses.
>> Yeah, absolutely. I mean um Mr. Meek can give you uh some of the numbers associated with Gulf food, but it was certainly the largest contingent of Australian exporters that we've taken to uh to that event. Um certainly in my history in the organization uh Mr. Meek might have uh longer memory than me um but um uh but it was a very successful uh stint already. Obviously it usually takes us kind of 6 to 12 months to really um test the commercial outcomes of a a mission like that uh because it takes time to to do the one-on-one bilateral negotiations between country uh companies. But um but even the early
indications are really positive. And Senator, if I could add um the uh work in the leadup to um uh that agreement coming um into force um saw I think it was in the 2425 year um agri food exports increase by 19.4% or 7.58 billion into the Middle East region. So what we are seeing is Australian businesses look very closely at that region that's growing and how they can actually pivot into that market
and supply it >> and not just aggie agri food.
>> No, it's broader than broad as well. Um so across the region we've also got the met sectoring which is the for the mining sector that supports it. We've got a whole number of sectors including tech and others >> health [clears throat] >> consumer health that uh are looking at the opportunities that exist in the
growing region. Well, thank you very much and thanks to the great work that you're doing to promote Australia businesses and our wonderful products around the world. >> All right. Well, I think on that note, have a good evening. >> Thank you, Chair. >> And uh we are now going to get ready with Tourism Australia.
>> Thanks, Minister. >> Thank you very much, everyone.
>> Thank you, Senator. Good day. How you going? >> I'm good. How are you? >> Thank you.
>> Hi. How you doing?