The South West Development Commission has won a $400,000 contract to deliver the federal government’s Tradestart service in the southern parts of Western Australia.
The South West Development Commission has won a $400,000 contract to deliver the federal government’s Tradestart service in the southern parts of Western Australia.
The program is designed to support small businesses enter export markets.
About $12 million of contracts were awarded nationally by the federal government’s Austrade for a period until 2022, with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA also selected as a provider in WA.
The commission has delivered the services in the south west since 2003, but this time it is working with the Great Southern Development Commission and Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission to expand its offering.
Austrade national Tradestart network manager Belinda Hay, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development executive director Liam O'Connell , Rebecca Ball, and Austrade WA manager Jane Caforio. Photo: Gabriel Oliveira.
That was supported by matched funding from the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development.
South West Development Commission chief executive Rebecca Ball said the focus was about bringing international market opportunities into the south west.
There are two advisors at the commission that work on the Tradestart program.
“The Tradestart advisors… work with the companies on making them contestable and competitive to realise international opportunities,” Ms Ball said.
“(We) help companies get export ready, but it’s (also) very much about matching their capability to international market opportunities.”
She said although the southwest was known for its agribusinesses, there were entrepreneurs in a range of sectors such as advanced manufacturing and creative industries.
One example of the work the commission has done is in the wine industry, where Ms Ball said about 100 local wine companies had been linked into markets such as Singapore.
With Austrade and the state government’s trade office, she said the commission had taken wine delegations and tourism operators to potential markets overseas.
“(The) model is using where we have significant strength in the southwest, to broaden it out to not only around trade and sales, but also being able to showcase the tourism opportunities inbound, and promote WA as a destination to invest in and for students,” Ms Ball said.
A second example was growing avocado markets in Japan.
“That’s been led very much by industry recognising the opportunity, then realising there’s barriers to market access,” she said.
The state government and the commission worked on unlocking the market.
A third example was free trade agreements, where Tradestart suppliers work with industry to prepare businesses for the opportunities.
Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said small business exporters make a big contribution to the economy.
“Whether a business is exporting for the first time or considering developing new overseas markets, TradeStart puts businesses in touch with experts who can provide them with practical advice and connect them with overseas customers,” Mr Birmingham said.
“We have delivered more market access to Australian businesses through our trade deals and we continue to back them through support programs such as TradeStart.
“Trade policy under our government has been a key driver of our economy, with our record levels of exports helping Australian businesses to grow and contribute to the 1.3 million new jobs created since 2013.”
