Australian
Trade Commission
Annual Report 2013–14
A A
  • Preliminary pages
    • Austrade at a glance
    • Letter of transmittal
    • Highlights from 2013–14
    • Outlook for 2014–15
    • Austrade locations
    • Auditors and acknowledgements
  • Agency overview
    • About Austrade
    • Chief Executive Officer's report
    • Austrade's network
    • Reporting framework
    • Organisational structure
  • Performance reporting
    • Outcome 1
    • Programme 1.1: Trade, education and investment promotion
    • Programme 1.2: Trade development schemes—Export Market Development Grants
    • Programme 1.3: Trade development schemes—Asian Business Engagement Plan
    • Outcome 2
    • Programme 2.1: Consular and passport services
    • Tourism policy, programmes and research
    • Programme 3: Tourism-related initiatives and management
  • Management and accountability
    • Corporate governance
    • Risk management
    • Legislative framework and external scrutiny
    • Management of human resources
    • Financial management and business assurance
    • Managing knowledge and information
  • Financial statements
    • Financial performance
    • Independent auditor's report
    • Certification of financial statements
    • Financial statements
    • Notes to and forming part of the financial statements
  • Appendixes
    • A: Staffing overview
    • B: Austrade and TradeStart locations in Australia and TradeStart partners
    • C: Austrade's Service Charter
    • D: Work health and safety
    • E: Financial and staffing resources
    • F: Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance
    • G: Advertising and market research
    • H: List of requirements
    • List of figures and tables
    • Abbreviations and acronyms
    • Index
Austrade Annual Report 2012–13

Download complete Annual Report as PDF

Part One
Agency overview

About Austrade

The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) is the Australian Government’s agency for promoting trade, investment and international education, and strengthening Australia’s tourism industry. Austrade provides advice to the Australian Government on its trade, investment, international education and tourism policy agenda and delivers Australian consular, passport and other government services in specific overseas locations.

Austrade’s role

Austrade has a detailed knowledge of international markets and economic conditions. It has deep connections within those markets and understands Australia’s comparative advantages. Austrade’s unique value lies in its ability to combine that understanding and knowledge with its status as a government organisation to deliver opportunities and outcomes for Australian businesses and institutions.

Austrade helps Australian businesses to reduce the time, cost and risk of exporting through valued services, including through the administration of the Export Market Development Grants scheme, the TradeStart programme and the Asian Business Engagement Plan.1 Austrade works closely with state and territory governments to attract productive foreign direct investment into Australia. Austrade has responsibility for promoting Australia’s international education and training sector in overseas markets and assists Australian education providers with market information and services. Austrade also continues to manage the Building Brand Australia programme to enhance awareness of contemporary Australian skills and capability, and enrich Australia’s global reputation through its nation brand.

On 3 October 2013, responsibility for tourism policy, programmes and research was transferred to Austrade from the former Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. Austrade now works across government on strengthening Australia’s tourism industry and implementing the national long-term tourism strategy, Tourism 2020. This consolidation complements Austrade’s trade, investment and education responsibilities and helps maximise the use of public resources.

Austrade’s services for Australian businesses

Austrade aims to provide services that create value for Australia’s business, education and tourism sectors, and do it in a way that represents a good investment for the taxpayer and that meets or exceeds all appropriate standards of ethical behaviour.

Through its network of advisers, located offshore and in Australia, Austrade helps internationally ready Australian businesses by:

  • delivering market insight and intelligence
  • providing advice on how to do business in prospective markets
  • providing access to networks of key decision-makers, customers and contacts in overseas markets
  • identifying and assessing business opportunities in international markets, and helping Australian businesses capture them
  • providing badge-of-government assistance to firms in-market and helping them with behind-the-border barriers to trade and investment.

Legislation

Austrade was established by the Australian Trade Commission Act 1985. It is a prescribed agency subject to the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and the Public Service Act 1999 and is part of the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio.

Ministerial responsibility

Austrade, through its CEO, reports to the Minister for Trade and Investment. From 1 July 2013 to 18 September 2014, the Hon Richard Marles MP was the Minister for Trade. The Hon Andrew Robb AO MP was sworn in as Minister for Trade and Investment on 18 September 2014 and held the position for the remainder of the reporting year.

Austrade’s network

At 30 June 2014, Austrade operated in 82 overseas offices in 48 markets, as well as in 11 offices in Australia. Austrade also provided consular, passport and other government services in 16 consular posts that it manages overseas. Austrade’s Australian and overseas locations are shown in Figure 1 (see page 8).

Staffing

At 30 June 2014, Austrade employed 1,032 staff, 74 per cent of whom were employed in client-focused operations in Australia and overseas.

In 2013–14, staff turnover was 13.5 per cent compared with 10.5 per cent in 2012–13. The gender balance was 45 per cent male and 55 per cent female. Further staffing information is provided in Appendix A.

Financial performance

In 2013–14, Austrade continued to maintain an effective financial management framework and achieved improvements in practices and processes. In a challenging financial environment, Austrade achieved its financial targets while integrating the tourism policy, programmes and research function, which was transferred from the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism on 3 October 2013. Table 1 provides a financial summary for 2011–12 to 2014–15. For further information, see page 160.

1. The Asian Century Business Engagement Plan was renamed the Asian Business Engagement Plan in December 2013.

Financial summary, 2011–12 to 2014–15
  2011–12
actuals ($m)
2012–13
actuals ($m)
2013–14
actuals ($m)
2014–15
budget ($m)
Departmental
Appropriations 167.2 160.0 176.8 182.5
Non-appropriation revenue 20.1 17.6 24.2 20.0
Total revenue 187.3 177.5 201.0 202.5
Total expenses 201.9 192.2 214.8 220.0
Operating surplus/(deficit) (14.6) (14.7) (13.8) (17.5)
Departmental capital budget 15.3 18.5 11.0 14.5
Equity injection – – – 1.5
Administered expenses
Export Market Development Grants scheme 135.1 125.9 122.8 137.9
Asian Century Business Engagement Plan – – 1.8 1.5

Note: Some figures have been rounded.

Austrade's history in brief

1985–86 Austrade was established by the Australian Trade Commission Act 1985 to achieve a more efficient and vigorous export marketing effort for the Australian Government. Several export assistance agencies, including the Export Market Development Grants board, were consolidated into one organisation. Austrade also provided consular services in certain locations overseas. Operations commenced on 6 January 1986 and Austrade was located in the Industry portfolio.
1990 Austrade’s board commissioned McKinsey & Company to review the span of the agency’s activity and the way it was organised in Australia and overseas. As a result, Austrade was restructured to include a group of 10 executive general managers, with six of those positions each directing an overseas region.
1991 Austrade moved from the Industry portfolio to the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio. Its head office also moved from Canberra to Sydney.
1992–93 Austrade established its National Export Hotline—13 28 78.
1996 Austrade was again restructured with its 10 executive general managers reduced to seven.
1997–99 Eight TradeStart offices were opened, extending Austrade’s export advisory services to regional Australia. The Business Club Australia programme was also launched.
2001–02 An agreement was negotiated between federal, state and territory governments to cooperate in doubling the number of Australian companies exporting.
2006 From 1 July 2006, Austrade operated under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and its board of directors was replaced with an executive management structure. Prior to 1 July 2006, Austrade operated under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997.
2008 Austrade was given responsibility for the promotion and attraction of productive foreign direct investment into Australia.
2010 Austrade was given responsibility for the international promotion of Australia’s education and training sector.
2011 A comprehensive review of Austrade was endorsed by the Government, resulting in a realignment of Austrade’s network, with trade resources focused on Asian and growth and emerging markets that provide the greatest opportunities for Australian businesses. Austrade’s investment resources were focused on more mature, capital-rich markets.
2013 Austrade was given responsibility for tourism policy, programmes and research.

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