Austrade media release

23 Oct 2006

Toowoomba businesses wanting to succeed in the growing Indonesian and Singaporean markets will have an unprecedented opportunity to gain first-hand information from a leading trade expert at FREE seminar on Thursday, 26 October (details below).

Austrade’s Jakarta-based Senior Trade Commissioner, Rod Morehouse and Singapore-based Senior Trade Commissioner, Maurine Chong, will provide fresh insight to local exporters on market trends, sectoral opportunities and effective business strategies.

Ms Chong will also discuss new opportunities resulting from the 2003 Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). Singapore is Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in South East Asia, with two-way trade alone worth over $12 billion in 2005-06. Following SAFTA, Australian companies enjoy improved access into the Singapore market and compete on a level playing field, particularly in the government procurement arena.

Opportunities are available in: arts and entertainment; building and construction; food and beverage; government procurement; lifestyle and wellbeing; education and services; ICT.

Local company, Chevredor, successfully exports live Boer goats to the Asian market. Husband-and-wife team, Laurie and Rosemary Bere-Streeter, had their first export sale to Indonesia in March 2004 and recently landed a significant ongoing contract to export to Malaysia.

According to Chevredor’s founder Rosemary Streeter, Austrade was instrumental in ensuring their success in Malaysia.

“Current Malaysian protocol did not allow goats to be sourced from above the 26th parallel. This effectively ruled out Queensland,” Mrs Bere-Streeter said. “We had to convince the Malaysian authorities that goats from Queensland, selected and tested in accordance with their requirements, didn’t pose a health risk.”

To do this, the company had to gather information from AQIS and DPI veterinary officers and present their case to the Malaysian authorities through Austrade Kuala Lumpur, AQIS and the Malaysian buyer.

“Ultimately, the government contacts developed through Austrade, here in Australia and in our target market, helped us seal the deal,” Mrs Bere-Streeter said.

Chevredor recently became an AQIS registered quarantine facility and is soon to be authorised for semen and embryo export. The company has already generated interest from buyers in New Zealand and Brazil.

The media is invited to attend.

EVENT: World of Opportunities – Close to Queensland
COST: FREE
SPEAKERS: Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioners, Rod Morehouse & Maurine Chong
DATE: 9.00am to 11.00am, Thursday, October 26
VENUE: Downs Business Centre, 4 Little Street, Toowoomba

For more information or to register call 13 28 78.

Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioners, Maurine Chong and Rod Morehouse, and Chevredor’s Founders Laurie and Rosemary Bere-Streeter, are available for interviews.

This seminar is sponsored by Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC), and supported by DFAT and the Queensland Government.

ENDS

Media contact

Purnima Ganapathy
Tel: 02 9390 2319
Email: purnima.ganapathy@austrade.gov.au

For further news and information from the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) visit www.austrade.gov.au/mediacentre.