Hon. Julie Bishop MP The new Australian Government is establishing
foreign policy priorities and programs which will give to the Australian
people a clear sense of our place in the world.
We are a nation with global interests, committed to democratic values and the
rule of law. We will continue to promote global peace and
security during this, our ﬁnal year as a non-permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council. We have a reputation as a vibrant and open
economy, which we intend to make even stronger through a renewed focus on economic diplomacy.
Minister Andrew Robb AO MP
We have placed a very deliberate emphasis on this including the pursuit of a
very ambitious trade and investment agenda. As the responsible minister I have already
had the privilege of visiting many countries around the world in pursuit of this.
In my travels I have gleaned a deﬁnite mood of disillusionment with the
interventionist, government led approaches adopted by so many countries in
response to the global ﬁnancial crisis. Instead, there is a renewed appetite, a window
of opportunity if you like, to use economic diplomacy and trade as key levers
to drive sustainable growth and jobs into the future.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Ministers Address
Hon. Julie Bishop MP Our chairmanship of the G20 this year is an
important opportunity to build a stronger global economy.
We will continue to promote free trade and better market access wherever we
can. We're actively pursuing free trade agreements to beneﬁt our exporters and
producers. The Government is committed to seeing Australian brands and
businesses expand their overseas presence. Minister Andrew Robb AO MP
It is pleasing to have had some early success. The conclusion of negotiations for
a Free Trade Agreement with Korea helps send a potent message to the world
that we are indeed open for business. We are of course also striving to conclude
Free Trade Agreements with Japan and China as soon as possible and playing
a constructive role in advancing the Trans Paciﬁc Partnership Agreement.
Hon. Julie Bishop MP It is particularly important that we re-focus
our foreign policies on our neighbourhood. Our standing in the world is
at its highest when our inﬂuence in our region is at its strongest.
To our east and north, we will work with regional forums such as the East Asia
Summit, APEC and ASEAN, to build security and prosperity in the Asia-Paciﬁc.
To our west, Australia will work to strengthen cooperation on areas of common
interest through the Indian Ocean Rim Association, which we recently hosted in
Perth, and will chair for the next two years. And importantly, we will broaden,
deepen and diversify Australia's bilateral relationships with our regional partners.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Ministers Address
2Minister Andrew Robb AO MP Freer trade, and investment, will also be
particularly prominent themes during Australia’s chairmanship of the G20 later
this year. This comes at a crucial stage in the global economic recovery. Despite our
challenges and bumps along the way, Australia’s economic fundamentals remain
strong. We have so much going for us as an attractive
location for investment, as a partner in trade, as an entry point into the
region, and as a destination for international tourism – particularly given
the exploding numbers of the middle class in the region around us.
Moving the tourism portfolio into the realm of DFAT and Austrade as we have
done makes eminent sense. It also places me in the enviable position of being, if
you like, the main salesman for Australia. Our beautiful country with its natural geographic
advantages of reef, beach and outback, and the oldest living culture in
history, give me a head start on selling Australia to the world - so as much as I would
like to I can’t take all the credit for Australia constantly being in the top ten
holiday destinations for international tourists.
Hon. Julie Bishop MP The Government is committed to transforming
our connections with Indo-Paciﬁc countries by developing closer people-to-people
links and deeper knowledge of their societies, languages and way of life.
Last December, I launched the pilot program for Australia's New Colombo Plan,
a signature Government initiative to send our undergraduate students overseas
to learn, build friendships and strengthen ties with our Indian Ocean Asia-Paciﬁc
neighbours. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Ministers
Address
3Over time, I hope that studying and working in our region will be a rite of
passage for young Australians. New Colombo Plan students will return home
work-ready and Asia-literate, with new perspectives, ideas and skills to boost
Australian innovation and productivity, ensuring we can take full advantage of the
region's economic transformation. Minister Andrew Robb AO MP
I recently launched the 2014 Austrade Benchmark Report which demonstrates
our strong competitive position. Our workforce is both highly skilled, with almost
40 per cent tertiary educated. And in terms of the ease of doing business, we
are ranked No.3 in the world. Hon. Julie Bishop MP
Australia is one of the world's most diverse multicultural nations. This is one of
our fundamental strengths and we reﬂect on our past and celebrate our bright
future as an actively engaged member of the global community.