Tasmania’s Trade Strategy delivering expanded access to world markets

26 August 2021

Guy Barnett MP

Minister for Trade

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is delivering on its plan to grow and expand access to world markets for Tasmanian products. We are doing by this by implementing our Tasmanian Trade Strategy and integrating new trade advocates in three vital regions.

The Tasmanian Budget 2021-22 includes a commitment of $6 million over four years to develop an integrated trade strategy with New Zealand, expand our international export markets with more trade advocates and to deliver the final three years of Tasmania’s first Trade Strategy including delivering Annual Trade Action Plans to boost export confidence and trade opportunities.

Developing an integrated trade strategy with New Zealand will help identify emerging opportunities in sectors like advanced manufacturing, defence, food, agribusiness, tourism, the Antarctic and the energy and carbon sector. This will not only result in exciting new opportunities in the New Zealand market for Tasmanian exporters, it will also open up access to other international trade routes using Auckland as a hub for international connections to the western seaboard of the US, Eastern Asia and the South Pacific.

The world wants what Tasmania produces and a more diverse trade strategy incorporated into the existing Tasmanian Trade Strategy 2019-2025 and the Trade Strategy Annual Action Plan 2021 means more jobs and more opportunities for our State.

To also help expand market access in new and existing world markets Tasmania has appointed new Trade Advocates in the US, Japan and Singapore, in addition to our presence in China. The appointment of Mr Udai Panicker as the first Trade Advocate in Singapore is particularly strategic because Singapore imports 90 per cent of its goods and services and is the recognised pathway to the ASEAN region, which currently contributes 21 per cent of Tasmania’s exports.

With Tasmanian products already recognised in these markets as a premium brand, delivering focussed campaigns and in-market business support will help our exporters achieve growth. The latest ABS export data has revealed that Tasmanian exports have hit a record $3.84 billion in the year to June 2021, exceeding the previous 12-month record by 5.2 per cent.

The Tasmanian Liberal Government is securing Tasmania’s future by delivering our plan for a diversified trade strategy to secure more jobs and more opportunities by helping our exporters take their products and services to the world.