Hi, My name is Ivan Kaye, and I am privileged to have the honour of being CEO of BSI and to be involved as an alliance partner with the Australian Trade Centre.

Export is the lifeblood of Australia.

When launching the Vic Govts export programme over here in April, Steve Bracks targeted Victorian exports to go from $26b - $30b over next 5 years – with focus on N Asia, India and Middle East.

• The tourism sector is now $9b and employs over 100,000 people.

• In Education – Melbourne overtook NY with over 40,000 international students from China and Hong Kong.
• 1 in 4 regional jobs in Victoria are export dependent
• In the 80’s commodities were the major exports… now auto exports are more than total commodities combined.
• Australia has had a major transformation from the most heavily protected industries to the most open.

In order for Australian Business to survive and thrive, they need to have the ability to be internationally competitive. Australian business has to adopt an export culture.

Australian Exporters need to have a multi pronged strategy for export, and they need all the assistance they can get.

Australian exporters have had 4 main areas of assistance in the past:-

1. Govt assistance through Austrade and various state govt programmes and trade missions

2. Attendance of Trade fairs

3. Improved communication through Internet and Etrade

4. Advisers – providing networks, strategies, financial and logistical assistance

They now have the Australian Trade Centre – which enables exporters to showcase their products and services in a cost effective and efficient manner to visitors, tourists and business people visiting Australia.

As a business person visiting a city, I would make a visit to a centre such as this an essential part of my itinerary. A place where I could find a smorgasbord of innovative products and services that the city has to offer. …and for the companies that I would be interested in …for them to contact me on doing business – an awesome service!!! For them to meet me at the centre – even better!!!!

It enables the exporter to leverage their products into multiple global markets simultaneously. Where else can you pitch to 4 different export markets in 1 day?

What BSI does fits hand in glove to what the Australian Trade Centre Does – we have the same vision –

“to help exporters grow value in their business”

BSI, as an EMDG practitioner and export consultant, assists exporters with accessing grants, raising capital and debt funding and helping companies with their growth strategies, export plans and networks. We are fortunate to have worked in a range of industries, from TCF to High tech – from Wine exporters to Engineering companies.

We recognise both the federal and state governments commitment to exporters.

The Federal Government’s “cornerstone programme” for export is the EMDG scheme that is administered by Austrade, and was under the portfolio of the Honourable Tim Fisher.

The EMDG Scheme can provide up to $150k per annum as a grant to subsidise marketing expenditure. An exporter, if properly planned, would be able to maximise the benefits that would be available through EMDG. Many expenses incurred by exporters with the ATC would be eligible under the programme, and I urge every exporter to contact us to see how we can assist in maximising your entitlements under the programme.

I believe that the ATC will grow from strength to strength nationally and internationally, and will be the centre where exporters will be able to network together and add value to each other – both face to face and on line.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Craig Cherry and the ATC on their 1^st birthday, and thank them on behalf of all of us exporters for providing him with this vessel to enable us all to grow.