Craig Emerson, Australia’s Minister for Trade and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Asian Century Policy, outlines key direction for the Australian government in light of the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper.
The Australia in the Asian Century White Paper sets out a plan for our nation to make the most of the astonishing changes going on in China and the rest of Asia.
By building on our strengths, seizing commercial opportunities and nurturing the relationships and capabilities to operate successfully in the region, young people in particular can look forward to a wonderful array of career opportunities.
Deepening and broadening our relationships across Asia was well under way when the White Paper was published in October. However, today we are stepping up the pace of initiatives designed to help Australia cement its place in the Asian Century.
Australia’s diplomatic and commercial representation in China, for example, is being expanded, with plans for a new consulate in Chengdu, western China.
As resources allow, new posts will also be opened in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Phuket, Thailand; and in eastern Indonesia. Austrade, the Australian Trade Commission, already has an office in Ulaanbaatar and in Shenyang, north-eastern China.
We also want to make it easier for people to visit Australia.
To do this, Australia recently opened Visa Application Centres in Beijing and Shanghai and expanded its label-free arrangements to include Chinese visitors. There are also plans to extend the option of online visa applications to all countries in the region.
A Resources and Energy Counsellor in Beijing will assist Australian companies to capitalise on China’s demand for minerals and energy, while a dedicated Jakarta-based Ambassador to ASEAN will strengthen ties with 10 ASEAN neighbours.
A new mandate for the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, which assists companies with export ventures, will ensure more of its resources address market failures that hinder small and medium-sized exporters in emerging and frontier markets such as China, Indonesia, India and Kazakhstan.
There are also recalibrations to the Export Market Development Grants scheme, which helps exporters with promotional costs, to allow grant recipients to make eight claims in Asia, up from seven now, and a new business engagement plan.
As Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Asian Century Policy, I will co-ordinate policy development, supported by a dedicated unit within the Prime Minister’s department that includes officials seconded from other departments.
An advisory board for implementing the White Paper includes Ken Henry, Peter Drysdale, John Denton and Catherine Livingstone, all of whom advised the Government on the drafting of the White Paper.
My Ministerial colleagues, meanwhile, have responsibility for commitments within their respective portfolios.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr is working to strengthen bilateral relationships in Asia and pursue Australia’s interests through regional forums such as ASEAN and the East Asia Summit.
Industry Minister Greg Combet is developing a statement on industry and innovation policy to ensure Australian industry becomes hi-tech and high-value.
Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson has released a white paper designed to guide Australia’s energy transformation to a cleaner and more productive economy.
And Schools Minister Peter Garrett is working on a National Plan for School Improvement which will include more teaching of Asian studies and languages.
With the publication of the White Paper, and a plan for its implementation, a small but valuable part of the job is done: a strong message has been sent to the region that Australia sees its future in our own neighbourhood.
The task now is to broaden regional engagement through economic diversification into areas of likely comparative advantage.
Australia has an abundance of agricultural land. Its size, quality and proximity to market confer on us a comparative advantage in beef, sheep meat, wheat, horticulture and dairy.
And we have acquired a reputation as a clean, green supplier of premium produce. Supported by domestic and foreign investment, agriculture and food processing can be a source of rising prosperity, especially in rural and regional Australia.
My Chinese counterpart, Commerce Minister Chen Deming, has completed a joint study on collaboration to lift agricultural production in both countries. Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig is completing Australia’s national food plan.
Attractions such as reefs, rainforests, harbours, national parks and wilderness areas make up another natural endowment. Well-heeled tourists from Asia are looking for high-quality experiences – and we can offer them.
Next, Australia has the advantage of being in the same time zones as Asia. This is attractive to Asian parents looking at where to send their children for higher education. In 2012, more than 200,000 Asian students studied at Australian universities.
Being in the same time zone as Asia also helps Australian financial service providers, which already benefit from widespread trust in our legal and financial systems. The National Broadband Network will be an asset in the provision of such services.
Our mining services are world class and a source of comparative advantage. And Australia has a comparatively well-educated workforce and a good track record for innovation.
In implementing the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century, the Government will assess these natural and acquired endowments and identify the best way to effect Australia’s second great economic transformation, after economic liberalisation in the 1980s and 1990s.
The second transformation can yield decades of rising prosperity and wonderful career opportunities. ■
*Craig Emerson is the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Asian Century Policy.