Australia New Caledonia Business Forum
My presentation follows on from that of the Honourable Parliamentary Secretary in relation to Australia’s bilateral relationship with New Caledonia. Doing Business in New Caleodnia Pursuing trade and investment opportunities for Australian business and facilitating market access are primary objectives. We work closely with our portfolio partners, especially with Austrade – and Adrian Weeks, the Australian Trade Commissioner for the Pacific is here and will cover my last two slides - to achieve better outcomes for Australian business. We effectively mobilise and share resources to support Australian business to enter or expand business in the New Caledonian market (and the rest of the French Pacific, for that matter). Close interaction with business groups, including the APIBC, is essential to assist Australian business. These are also a good resource for local information. Industry insights help us to identify actual or potential obstacles to trade, and may also assist in working to remove obstacles. Our Priorities
This is to: Australia is renowned for its tertiary education, hosting the world’s third largest international student population, and is home to seven of the 100 best universities in the world. Yesterday’s visit to the SkillsTech Mining Safety Gallery is another example of Australia’s cutting edge training capability – and combines our expertise in the mining and education sectors. In terms of tourism, Australia is a popular destination for New Caledonians, hosting more than 32 500 visitors each year - rivalling France. In return, more than 15 700 Australians chose New Caledonia as their holiday destination last year. Australian passengers account for over 86 per cent of all cruise ship arrivals, totalling nearly 260 000 arrivals in 2013. The tourism sector has a strong future as New Caledonia’s tourism infrastructure grows. Air Calin’s launch of the Noumea- Melbourne route has created a new avenue for greater bilateral tourism and gives New Caledonians direct access to one of Australia’s great cities. Although this needs to not be at the expense of regular flights to Brisbane, which are important for business partners. The opening of the Sheraton Deva resort complex and other slated tourism projects, provide more opportunities for Australians to discover different destinations within New Caledonia. Australia is also interested in collaborating with New Caledonia in emerging sectors in the local economy. These include agriculture, aquaculture, and renewable energy.
We work on an ongoing basis to promote Australian expertise and know-how in the French Pacific. We welcome Australian companies calling on us to discuss their progress in the New Caledonian market. Meeting with you is a great way for us to share knowledge and understand more about what is happening in the business community. We also offer the brand reputation of Australia through the Australia Unlimited brand. This is a whole of government branding applied to Australian capability, goods and services, guaranteeing the quality of Australia’s exports. Australia Unlimited expresses the creativity, global engagement and ‘enterprising spirit’ of Australian business today. Events and Activities A sample of some key activities includes: For example, ANZ CEO Mike Smith’s visited last month, and this was a good opportunity to bring together business partners in the finance and other sectors. • Industry and community events Also present were members from the APIBC Noumea Working Group and our alumni network, Association des Caledoniens Diplômés en Australie (ACDA), who are great ambassadors for Australian education and the benefits it provides to the New Caledonian community. In summary, this is a market offering much potential. Keep in touch with us to find out the latest news, opportunities and events via our website and our Facebook page. I will now hand you over to Trade Commissioner – Pacific, Adrian Weeks, who will talk you through how Austrade works with us to achieve outcomes for Australian businesses. |