Skip to main content

Do you come from a land down under ?


You never know what to expect when you land in a foreign country for the first time, particularly when you are about to live there for a period of time. I always find the immigration hall a good measure and Australia did not disappoint. After passing my passport to the immigration officer, he checked the screen and said "welcome to Australia mate" You wouldn't get that at Heathrow or New York.
With the Commonwealth games, and Brexit soon to follow, the UK is looking towards trading partners it can grow with. As a Commonwealth Country, Australia has always been on the map so to speak, its distance is certainly one big disadvantage, but there are many more reasons that outweigh that small factual technicality.
One of my roles now looks at how the UK can create trading relationships with Queensland and in particular the Gold Coast, but on a bigger scale, how can the UK and Australia bridge the travel distance and become a closer trading partner. Certainly the direct flight from Perth to London, due to fly next year with Qantas, will help, but there are significant financial and business stats that support the partnership is one to take seriously.
  • Australia has entered its 26th year of annual economic growth – (2015-16) (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
  • Australia is the 2nd wealthiest nation in terms of wealth per adult after Switzerland – (2016) (Global Wealth Report, Credit Suisse)
  • The Australian dollar is the 5th most traded currency – (2016) (Bank of International Settlements)
  • Australia has the world’s 6th largest pool of investment funds under management (US$1.613 trillion) - (Investment Company Institute)
  • Australia is estimated to have the world’s 13th highest GDP and 10th highest GDP per capita (in US dollar terms) – (2016) (International Monetary Fund.
In 2016, Australia and the UK agreed to establish a bilateral Trade Working Group to begin scoping out the parameters for a future Free Trade Agreement. An initial meeting was held in December 2016 between UK Minister for Trade Policy, and Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. The group aims to meet annually, beginning early 2017.
Around 1,500 British businesses operate in Australia, including well-known companies like BP, HSBC, British Airways and BT, as well as hundreds of small and medium sized companies. Australia is ranked by the World Bank as the 7th easiest country in which to set up a business and falls within the top 5 countries globally on the Index of Economic Freedom. You can set up a new business in Australia within 2 days.
We all know the background to how so many Brits began their life in Australia, but still today, there are more British citizens in Australia than in any other foreign country. 1.2 million Britons are permanent residents in Australia and over 600,000 visit every year.
With a population approaching 24 million Australia is one of the most ethnically diverse societies in the world today. Almost one in four Australian residents were born outside of Australia and this wide variety of backgrounds, together with the culture of Indigenous Australians who have lived on the Australian continent for more than 50,000 years, have helped create a uniquely Australian identity and spirit.
Australia is still in its infancy in many elements of its infrastructure, once you drive out of most of the main cities, within an hour you are on single track roads, and whilst it adds to the beauty that is Australia, it does make shipping products time consuming and expensive. Amazon clearly see the potential, as it sets on the journey of setting up a full scale operation in 2018, it will certainly open a few eyes to convenience and price.
However, for many SME's Australia is a definite market opportunity that should not be overlooked of dismissed out of hand. The ease of doing business, coupled with the language, the culture and willingness to try new things, makes it a definite option for your 2018 growth plans.
Advice is in abundance, the Government is keen to support new ventures into Australia and has several publications and advice on how to build a plan and what to expect
As part of the business legacy committee, we are also looking at a trade visit to Queensland in 2018 to coincide with the legacy goals of the Queensland Government, I hope to have more information on this once details have been finalised.
So, do some research and take the blinkers off in terms of travel, Australia is by far the nicest, most friendliest place I have lived, its abound with opportunities for both importing goods and services or taking great local brands in Australia and selling them here in the UK.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Importance of a People Strategy

As a business owner, you may have a great product or service, a solid business plan, and an excellent marketing strategy. However, without a people strategy, your business may struggle to succeed in the long run. A people strategy is a plan for how your business will attract, develop, retain, and motivate the people it needs to achieve its goals. It is about putting people at the center of your business and making sure that they are engaged, productive, and aligned with your company's vision and values. Here are some reasons why having a people strategy is crucial for your business: Attracting top talent Your people strategy should include a plan for attracting top talent to your business. This involves creating a strong employer brand, offering competitive compensation and benefits, and providing opportunities for career development and growth. By attracting the best people to your business, you can gain a competitive advantage and ensure that you have the skills and expertise nee
Post a Comment
Read more

8 Benefits of Having a Staff Engagement Survey

When was the last time you ran an employee survey? or, have you even ever ran an employee survey ? We keep hearing and seeing evidence of a shortage of labour for recruitment, and that then puts pressure on retention.  Do you know what your company retention rate is ? Do you have a retention target? if not why not? its a great measurement to  understand  how your  employees feel about the company and that in turn will tell you how attractive your company is to potential employees. Now, don't get me wrong, a level of staff churn is healthy, as long as its the right churn and you're not losing your best people. Your company will fail to thrive unless you have tenacious, passionate, and engaged team members. Engaged employees produce higher-quality output, are more loyal and productive, and are more likely to stay with the organisation for longer. And yet, an overwhelming number of people still feel disengaged at work. According to the worlds largest  study  of employee  happiness
Post a Comment
Read more

Employee Leadership Development from the Ground Up

I n the UK, the current retirement age is 67, however this is due to change to 68 and the timetable for this is currently under review. Life expectancy at birth in the UK in 2018 to 2020 was 79.0 years fro males and 82.9 for females according to the ONS and this is also set to increase. If people are living longer, then as a natural consequence, they’ll need to work longer, which requires continual career growth. The old rules of retirement were written toward an economy where most of the work being done was manual labour, and reaching the age of 65 was viewed as being liberated from the intensive daily grind. However, as disruptive technologies emerge and change the business environment, working professionals are being tasked with having to upskill continually, which presents new opportunities to grow and develop. As more businesses increasingly identify the need for employees with leadership skills, they’ll soon discover, growing current employees is a lot more cost effective and imp
Post a Comment
Read more