• Message from the Queensland Minister for Trade
• Queensland on the global stage
• Latin America in focus
• Economic briefing
• Upcoming events
  • Proposed trade missions
  • Getting Export Smart
• Your local Export Advisor
• Tell your story

Despite the global financial crisis, 2008 was a great year for Queensland. Our exports grew at a steady pace and we experienced the strongest economic growth of all Australian States over the past year. All Queensland businesses should be proud of this result.

I recently returned from a mission to the Middle East, which included Dubai’s BIG 5 Construction Exhibition, the largest trade show for the construction industry in the Gulf. This year’s mission attracted 38 representatives from 24 Queensland construction and infrastructure companies. This strong Queensland presence supported the profile of the State’s companies exhibiting at BIG 5, and showcased Queensland’s capacity to contribute to major developments in the UAE and other Middle East markets.

Trade Queensland will be launching a new magazine this year. This free magazine will be distributed both here and overseas, and will highlight the work of Trade Queensland and profile some of the State’s successful exporters. To subscribe to the magazine, please register your postal details.

• The Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in London has recently staged an exhibition by Alick Tipoti from far north Queensland, a rising star of the Torres Strait Islander printmaking movement.
• A new SAFE Initiative facility has been opened in Santiago, Chile. The facility allows Queensland exporters to more safely and efficiently enter the Chilean market, with support and access to vital exporting resources.
• A Memorandum of Understanding between Queensland Clinical Trials Network Inc and Kansai Bio Promotion Council (KBPC) was signed in October 2008 at a joint symposium in Osaka, Japan.
• Queensland company Majans is recording strong growth in exports of its savoury snack products and has launched its Bhuja mix in 341 Sainsbury’s stores in the UK.
• Gold Coast-based company Coolshield International Pty Ltd won the gold medal at the inaugural Gaia Awards, held last year in conjunction with the BIG 5 trade show. The Awards recognise building products that contribute to environment-friendly building practices and help reduce the environmental impact of construction projects.
• Australia’s largest and best-known luxury boat builder, Queensland company Riviera, has made its first sale of a luxury cruiser into the emerging India marine market.
• Queensland-based development company, the Sunland Group, is helping to shape Dubai’s ever-expanding skyline, with a number of landmark high-rise buildings on the books for construction in the desert city.
• Queensland offshore boat manufacturer, Maritimo Australia, has announced a new dealership agreement with a major Korean marine industry company, tapping into the enormous future potential of the luxury boat market in South Korea.

For the latest news from Trade Queensland, visit our website.

Cross-sectoral trade mission to Latin America
Queensland continues to work hard to maintain its record as the most active Australian State in building trade relationships with Latin America.

Key Latin American countries such as Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Peru have all proven to be strong economic performers in recent years. Growth, political stability and an increasingly global focus have resulted in significant expansion in Latin American economies.

Trade Queensland has contributed significantly to establishing stronger trade links with Latin America, primarily focusing on the mining equipment, technology and services sector through the South America Mining Initiative (SAMI) and more recently the Latin America Mining Initiative (LAMI).

Queensland’s success in servicing the mining industries in Latin America has helped to develop the State’s profile and reputation in the region. We have maintained a strong State-to-State relationship with the mining State of Minas Gerais in Brazil for more than five years.

The growth in Latin American markets, largely due to the expansion in mining, has also highlighted the need for large capital investment in energy and infrastructure, particularly rail, ports and airports, amongst the region’s governments and decision-makers.

Queensland is now in an ideal position to pursue the opportunities associated with these projects in Latin American, having established itself within the market as a good trading partner and innovator of technology, equipment and services.

With this in mind, Trade Queensland is arranging a cross-sectoral trade mission to Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Chile in March. The mission aims to examine new opportunities that exist in Latin America, leveraging off our exporters' previous success in the region.

So far over 25 Queensland companies have registered their interest in joining the mission. The interest shown in this mission and the diversity of industries covered demonstrates the value of focusing on Latin America as a growing export market.

Participation in this mission will enable Queensland businesses to gain first-hand market knowledge, meet with future business partners, and benefit from the Government’s existing relationships with the Latin American business community, in-market allies and government contacts.

For more information on Trade Queensland’s cross-sectoral trade mission to Latin America, please contact Maria Silva on 07 3224 8440 or maria.silva@trade.qld.gov.au

The biggest issue facing Trade Queensland and our exporting clients is that the world is in the firm grip of a serious financial crisis.

Developed economies including the United States, Japan and many of the European nations have entered or are entering recession. Queensland’s exposure to the global trading environment is one that extends to all three major trading regions (Asia, the Americas and Europe), and into emerging markets.

In the 2007-2008 financial year, the United States was ranked the sixth highest merchandise export destination for Queensland, down from third in 2003-2004.

The latest information shows that Queensland’s top five merchandise exports destinations are all based in the Asian Region (Japan, India, Korea, Taiwan and China), representing 62 per cent of Queensland’s total merchandise export value, for the first quarter of the 2008-2009 financial year.

The majority of Queensland’s commodity exports had already moved from the United States to the Asian region before the onset of the financial crisis in the United States.

However, the recent decline in the value of the Australian dollar has helped the competitiveness of Queensland exports, especially those sold in US dollars.

The fact is that Queensland is likely to feel the effects of this crisis as companies see demand for their products and services fall in our major export markets.

Trade Queensland will be working towards providing high quality market intelligence, advice and value-added business matching programs to companies considering new target markets that may not be as severely impacted by the global financial crisis, such as the Middle East, Russia, Africa, Latin America and India.

Recent announcements have reported lower than expected levels of growth for China. Trade Queensland will closely monitor the situation, particularly the implications for Queensland exporters.

In 2009, export opportunities will remain in the mining, infrastructure and construction sectors due to existing contracts that will help maintain growth into the second half of 2009. These opportunities are especially evident in those countries committed to future sporting events such as 2010 Soccer World cup in South Africa, the London 2012 Olympics and the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. In these countries, government spending is creating business activity to lift electricity and transport capacity.

* Herald Sun, 17 January 2009.

Proposed trade missions
A number of proposed trade missions are in the works for 2009, and will proceed on the basis of sufficient interest from Queensland companies.

The mining equipment, technology and services mission to Cape Town, South Africa in February will include the Mining Indaba Conference 2009. The four-day conference attracts high-level government representation from across Africa and offers a comprehensive schedule of presentations, panels and plenary sessions.

The marine trade mission to India in February will include participation in the Mumbai International Boat Show 2009, India's premier boating and marine industry trade show, to help Queensland companies pursue growing opportunities in the region's marine industry, specifically in the sub-sectors of small/medium luxury boats and marina development.

The food and agribusiness trade mission to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, also in February, will coincide with the Gulfood trade show in Dubai. This mission is a must for food and agriculture businesses wanting to explore opportunities to export to the Middle East.

For more information about proposed trade missions or to register your interest, please visit Trade Queensland's website.

Getting Export Smart
The next round of Getting Export Smart workshops will begin across the State in March. This practical, hands-on export training initiative is designed to help Queensland-based companies take up the export challenge in overseas markets. 

Experienced industry and government export advisors facilitate the workshops, which provide skills in:

• Preparing your business for export and choosing the right partners 
• Effectively marketing your business in overseas markets
• Pricing, freight, packaging and payment procedures
• E-business transactions and online marketing strategies.

The program will also link you to a dedicated client manager and agencies that can help you become a successful exporter.

Please contact your local Export Advisor on 13 26 50 for more information or register your interest online.

In addition to Getting Export Smart, Trade Queensland also supports the Mentoring for Export program, which uses a panel of experts to help firms that are export ready or already exporting with options to further develop and refine their export strategies. For more information please contact your local Export Advisor.

Don't forget that your local Export Advisor is available to provide specialist advice in your area. Please contact the export advisor for your region if you need help with your exporting strategy.

Do you have a story to tell about exporting from Queensland? We’d love to hear from you! Please email us your story and contact information.

We reserve the right to accept, reject or edit contributions based on appropriateness to Trade Queensland, relevance, timeliness and space availability.