Export Panel Breakfast
Speech (check against delivery)
Melbourne
1 July 2010
It is a great pleasure to be here this morning.
With an export value of more than A$5.2 billion, and employing nearly 400,000 people, Australia's IT industry makes a significant contribution to our economy.
The industry also has a reputation for innovation and sophistication.
Brand Australia
And it is reputation that I want to focus on for a moment.
Just a few weeks ago, the former Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, launched the Brand Australia initiative:
- a twenty million dollar program that will position Australia as a highly regarded global citizen and a trusted global business partner
- a program that will make the world sit up and take notice of people like you and better position Australia as a global citizen, global business partner and world class destination
- a program that will help Australians like you compete and succeed globally.
Let's take a look
Play Brand DVD
Australia Unlimited has the versatility to market Australia's strengths in all their diversity — in business, technology, education and so much more.
Australia Unlimited gives us a consistent image and a consistent message to project contemporary Australia to the world.
IT industry
It is this image, as well as our highly-skilled workforce, our substantial research infrastructure and our strong relationships, that keeps Australia at the forefront at the global ICT industry.
Strong relationships also play a key role in supporting the industry. And the Government is committed to developing and maintaining those relationships.
I recently announced the Australian Taiwan Strategic Framework Agreement, an important ICT partnership that has already boosted our high tech exports and will provide funding over the next three years that will benefit numerous Australian companies.
Last month, Austrade supported a delegation of 40 Australian businesses at the major IT exhibition CommunicAsia in Singapore.
And Austrade is also chairing the Australian Technology Showcase, a valuable national networking program that promotes and develops export markets for technology products. The Showcase is a proud supporter of this morning's event.
Australian Export Awards
Today's speakers are outstanding examples of small businesses who have embraced technology to achieve export success.
Both companies won an Australian Export Award last year, and indeed, I had the honour of presenting Firemint with their Winners Certificate in their offices last December.
Firemint and Autech Software are two very different exporters, but they share similarities: the vision to use technology in their product development strategies and as role models in the business community.
Currently in its forty-eighth year, the Australian Export Awards celebrates our best exporters, commending them for their achievements and commitment. The Awards also highlight the critical role these companies play, both in the community and for our national prosperity.
Applications for this year's Awards are through each of the eight State and Territory export award programs, all of which are now open around the country.
I'd like to acknowledge the hard work of the organisers of the Governor of Victoria's Export Awards whose winners in national categories go on to be finalists in the Australian Export Awards program.
I'd also like to acknowledge the Award's Platinum sponsors, who are supporting this event, the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation and the Commonwealth Bank, both long-term supporters of the Awards.
So, now, let's hear from these two exporters, and I hope they encourage you to embrace technology, and take the next step to compete internationally.