Truss announces new Trade Advisory Council

The Minister for Trade, Warren Truss, today announced the formation of the Australian Government’s Trade Advisory Council.

Mr Truss said that the Trade Advisory Council will be the Trade Minister’s pre-eminent source of advice from the business sector on vital trade and investment issues. This new Council replaces three existing groups (the Trade Policy Advisory Council, the WTO Advisory Group and the FTA Export Advisory Panel).

“Membership of the Trade Advisory Council has been drawn from across Australia. It includes eminent private sector representatives from the agriculture, resources, food, financial services, manufacturing, education, defence and other industries,” Mr Truss said.

“I am looking forward to discussing with the Council the changing trade environment and how Australia can position itself to extract the greatest value for our exporting and importing industries.

“Exports of Australian goods and services reached a record $210 billion last year. With another record year on the cards, consulting the business sector is a key priority for me. I want to hear their views on taking our trade policy agenda forward,” he said.

The new Council will discuss the key opportunities and challenges for Australian business in the current trade environment.

Mr Truss said that the Australian Government is looking for ambitious outcomes in trade negotiations.

“This sort of outcome is how we can deliver major benefits to Australian exporters, especially in the services and agriculture sectors.”

Mr Truss said the Australian Government values the diverse range of knowledge and experience that the new Trade Advisory Council will offer Australian trade policy development.

The Trade Advisory Council will be chaired by Mr Geoff Allen, Director and Founder of the Allen Consulting Group.

Members of the Trade Advisory Council

Name	Position	Company
Mr Dieter Adamsas	Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer	Leighton Holdings Ltd
Mr Geoff Allen	Director	The Allen Consulting Group Pty Ltd
Mr Angus Armour	Managing Director	EFIC
Ms Jane Bennett	Director	Ashgrove Cheese Pty Ltd
Mr John Borghetti	Executive General Manager	Qantas
Mr Hudson HF Chen	Managing Director	Leong Yee Pty Ltd
Mr John Conomos	Executive Chairman	Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Ltd
Mr David Crombie	President	National Farmers’ Federation
Mr John Denton	Partner and Chief Executive Officer	Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Mr Robert Douglas	Chief Operating Officer	ResMed Asia Pacific Ltd
Mr John Down	Managing Director	Viking Industries Ltd
Mr Saul Eslake	Chief Economist	ANZ Banking Group
Prof Stephanie Fahey	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International)	Monash University
Mr Ron Fisher	Managing Director	Raytheon Australia Pty Ltd
Dr Vince Fitzgerald	Chairman	The Allen Consulting Group Pty Ltd
Prof Helen Garnett	Vice-Chancellor	Charles Darwin University
Dr Vanessa Guthrie	General Manager, Environment	Woodside Petroleum
Mr Tom Harley	President Corporate Development	BHP Billiton
Mr Peter Hendy	Chief Executive	Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Mr Mitchell Hooke	Chief Executive	Minerals Council of Australia
Ms Sarah Israel	Director	Queensland Sugar
Mr Mark Johnson	Chairman	AGL Energy Ltd
Mr Michael L’Estrange	Secretary	DFAT
Mr Malcolm May	Managing Director	Balco Limited
Mr Peter O’Byrne	Chief Executive Officer	Austrade
Ms Heather Ridout	Chief Executive Officer	Australian Industry Group
Prof Gerard Sutton	Vice-Chancellor	University of Wollongong
Ms Alison Watkins	Non-Executive Director	Just Group Ltd
Mr Dick Wells	Chief Executive	Australian Food and Grocery Council

Media Inquiries: Minister Truss' office 02 6277 7420 - Departmental Media Liaison 02 6261 1555