Seminar to help WA exporters benefit from Australia’s FTAs

Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Mark Coulton, will visit Perth on Tuesday, 5 March 2019 to host a free seminar for local businesses on how they can benefit from Australia’s Free Trade Agreements.

Joseph Ling, Managing Director of successful WA fruit exporter, AGRIFresh, will be at the seminar to share his experiences in using FTAs to maximise commercial outcomes for his business.

AGRIFresh, which grows oranges, mandarins, lemons and mangoes on what was once a mixed grain and sheep farm, is hoping to export up to 80 per cent of its produce in coming years. 

The seminar, at the Duxton Hotel in Perth from 7.30am to 10.00am on Tuesday 5 March, is part of a series of seminars that has travelled to all corners of the nation to help Australian businesses take advantage of FTAs.

FTAs are delivering significant benefits to Australian businesses like AGRIFresh that are seeking to expand their global market presence.

“A huge range of Australian products now receive tariff-free or preferential access to more than a billion potential customers in China, Japan and Korea thanks to agreements negotiated by the Australian Government,” said Mr Coulton.

In addition to FTAs with these fast-growing markets of North Asia, the Government has also recently concluded or signed agreements with eleven Pacific Rim nations (TPP-11), Indonesia (IA-CEPA) and Peru (PAFTA).

Among the government experts on hand to provide advice at the seminar will be:

• Michael Dean, Director, Regional Trade Agreements Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade;
• Susan Cobisiero, Austrade’s recently returned Trade Commissioner in Shanghai;
• Jane Caforio, Austrade State Director for Western Australia;
• Darren Levy, TradeStart Adviser;
• Richard Wilkinson, Deputy State Manager, AusIndustry; and
• Carolyn Kelly, Director, Australian Trusted Trader Business Development, Department of Home Affairs.

The FTA Seminar will be followed immediately by an information session on the Trusted Trader program from 10.15am to 11.15am.