The Albanese Government will stand up a team of highly skilled trade and logistics experts to help Australian exporters combat significant shipping and cargo disruptions as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
From today, the Government’s Trade Resilience Service will deliver practical, real-time logistics advice to help businesses and exporters get their goods through the Middle East, or find alternative markets.
The service will be delivered by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and will ensure exporters continue to get their goods moving into international markets.
With one in four Australian jobs relying on trade, this service will assist and protect export reliant businesses, and identify shipping routes for essential imports, including fertilisers.
The service complements the work of the recently established Trade Diversification Taskforce which sits at the heart of the government’s $50 million dollar Accessing New Markets Initiative and provides practical, hands-on support for Australian businesses to diversify into new export markets and take advantage of new opportunities in established markets.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell:
“This is an uncertain and challenging time for Australian businesses who are facing higher freight costs, insurance uncertainty, and limited options to redirect perishable exports to alternative markets.
“The Albanese Government will always back Australian business – especially in times of uncertainty. The Trade Resilience Service will give our traders the real-time logistical information they need to continue getting their world-class goods to market.
“The war in the Middle East is causing significant disruptions for our everyday life. We’ve navigated uncertainty before, and this is just one piece of how we will again.”