Wool, textiles and design: Building export markets for Australia

Speech

Australian Minister for Trade and Deputy Leader of the National Party, Mark Vaile

At the opening of the Annie Georgeson Textile Collection

Sydney, 10 July 2001

(Check against delivery)

Introduction

Thank you Ian; ladies and gentlemen.

I'm delighted to be here in Sydney this evening and to have the honour of opening the Annie Georgeson Textile Co-ordinates (fabrics, rugs, carpets). Annie and her partner Ian Bailey are constituents of mine in the electorate of Lyne on the Mid North Coast. They moved up to Kendall, about half way between my home town of Taree and Port Macquarie, about twelve years ago where from there Annie and Ian have spread their wings, spanning across the world.

So, it's a special pleasure for me to be able to perform this opening tonight, as I greatly admire Annie and Ian's work, and the way in which they have successfully marketed their creations. In their working lives, Annie and Ian combine artistic and business skills very effectively. Ian has a focus on architecture and furniture design, while Annie concentrates on textile, graphic and industrial design. Their company is multi-disciplined linking their own efforts with those of companies such as Tascot Templeton carpets and Macquarie Textiles Group, effectively turning creativity into a commercial reality.

The Collection opening tonight, of course, focuses on Annie's work in wool textile design, the fibre that has been the common thread throughout her career.

Export opportunities and regional Australia

What Annie and Ian have achieved is one of regional Australia's success stories. This Collection, which is designed to target both the local and global market, shows the way they have built up their business through pursuing opportunities overseas.

This isn't anything new for Annie and Ian. Years ago, when their focus was on hand printing, they were exporting fine wool shawls to the United States. They have always understood the need for Australians to export their way to greater success.

From a national viewpoint, it is important to recognise the contributions that many businesses in regional Australia make to our export performance.

Australia's exports account for around 20 per cent of income nationally, but the figure rises to 27 per cent in regional Australia. One in five jobs in Australia depend on trade, but the figure is more like one in four in regional areas.

Trade is vital to our nation's economic well being. Twenty million Australians cannot hope to buy all that our industries produce. Our efficient and world-class producers need access to global markets. And Australian business, too, needs imports of capital equipment and other foreign inputs, including leading-edge technologies, to remain competitive.

There is a wide spectrum of opportunities available overseas for businesses in regional Australia that are looking to grow. And people like Annie Georgeson and Ian Bailey are showing that working with these manufacturers can produce value- addedproducts that can mix it with the world's best, and achieve success.

Australia's trade in wool and wool products

The Collection we are seeing tonight is all in wool and wool mix yarn. And wool, of course, is Annie's passion.

Speaking generally, the wool industry has an honoured place in the history of Australia. While we are now well beyond the time when Australia rode "on the sheep's back", as the old saying went, wool is still a very important part of our international exports profile. Over 98% of the Australian wool clip is consumed in overseas markets. And over 30% of Australian wool is now processed before export.

Wool, as a product combines qualities of strength and softness, low cost and high value that have ensured its popularity as a fibre for thousands of years, and its continued attractiveness in the face of competition from new synthetics.

Significantly, global trade in wool products (that is, yarn, fabrics and garments) has increased considerably, even as the demand for and production of wool throughout the world has been in some decline. This development has been greatly assisted by the lowering of trade barriers. The outcome of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations has enabled greater market access for Australian exports of wool, and an expansion in world trade in textile products made from Australian wool, as well as market development in a number of overseas countries. The Annie Georgeson Co-ordinates Collection that you see here are products that are exported to the US, New Zealand & throughout the North and South-East Asia regions.

But there is more to be done in overcoming trade barriers against wool and, especially, wool products. And the Government is committed to working hard and effectively to overcome them.

Developing new markets for wool products

What impresses me about people involved in the wool industry today is their willingness to take on new challenges and opportunities to win exports for Australia. The Government is supporting this process through the TCF Market Development Program, a new grant scheme aimed at putting in place strategies to increase the competitiveness of our TCF industry in the global marketplace.

The development of Sportwool, in a six year joint venture between the CSIRO and Woolmark Company, is an example of what can be achieved. Sportwool uses the unique, natural moisture buffering properties of wool to create a superb fabric to wear against the skin during physical exertion. By pulling vapour away from the body, Sportwool keeps the wearer cooler, giving them a competitive edge over current conventional sports fabrics.

Leading Australian athletes and teams have adopted the fabric - including the world champion Australian Cricket Team. Now premier sporting teams around the globe have expressed interest in the Sportwool fabric for themselves

Last year, Manchester United, the highest profile sporting club in the world, unveiled their new Sportwool playing strip, as part of their maximum advantage strategy to remain a step ahead of their competitors.

That is the kind of export success that will ensure a bright future for Australian wool - and for regional Australia. There are others too - woollen carpets, for example, is a growing sector for Australia. Annie Georgeson and Victoria Carpets have taken on the challenge of textile design and development in a competitive environment and are achieving great success. Coordinating compatible products and linking design and development are what Annie and Ian and their associates are working to achieve through this Collection.

Conclusion - the Annie Georgeson Collection

What we are seeing tonight is a coordinated range of fabrics, rugs and carpets aimed at the hospitality market. Her association with the ANA Hotel here in Sydney began in 1989. Annie's designs were used in all rugs, many fabrics and some carpets in the hotel when it opened in 1992. Since 1998 she has been back to refurbish all textiles, an opportunity to continue a very real showcase of Annie's work here in Australia for the world and us to see.

Together with John Lewis from the Macquarie Textiles Group, based in Albury, Annie and Ian have interested other companies with compatible products in the development of the range of products featured in this Collection. The launch tonight is the completion of a process involving some two and a half years of design work and development with the various manufacturers.

It's great to see the result of all this talent and effort on show tonight, and to know that it represents the start of a promising export market for Australia. I wish Annie, Ian and all their colleagues the greatest success with their new label, and have much pleasure in opening the Collection.

Local Date: Saturday, 22-Nov-2008 10:25:39 EST