Transtasman spotlight on export markets

By GREG ANSLEY Australia correspondent

CANBERRA - Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile arrived in Christchurch yesterday with a high-powered business delegation intent on developing new moves to push a combined attack on world markets.

While inevitably covering such scratchy issues as Australia's continuing ban on New Zealand apples and Canberra's separate bid for a free-trade agreement with the United States, Vaile's emphasis will be on common ambitions for the World Trade Organisation's Doha Round of negotiations on global trade reform.

Australia wants close co-operation with New Zealand and the Cairns Group of fair trading nations on the new WTO round, and he will talk strategy with Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton ahead of a "mini-ministerial" conference in Sydney in November.

But Canberra also wants to begin using CER and the combined weight of leading-edge transtasman companies to carve out joint markets.

Following Prime Minister Helen Clark's May swing through Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with a team of New Zealand "knowledge" industry leaders, Vaile is bringing with him groups representing Australia's information and communication technology (ICT) and dairy sectors.

"The integration of the CER economies is such that businesses can increasingly look to strategic opportunities to collaborate, especially in dealing in new markets," a senior trade official said in Canberra.

"This is the first time we've brought together Australian and New Zealand business delegations with a specific sector or focus.

"It's an ambitious effort and it's well ahead of the kind of trade dialogue we have with other countries."

Included in the Australian team are Australian Dairy Industry Council chairman Pat Rowley and Peter Lavery, chairman of the council's trade subcommittee, Dairy Products Federation president Paul Kerr, Bonlac chief executive Peter Myers and Australian Dairy Corporation general manager (international trade) Chris Phillips.

The ICT delegation includes Internet Commerce Australia's Asia-Pacific business development director, Andrew Ferguson, Biolateral managing director Tim Littlejohn, Kennex Data Gate business development manager Peter Penfold and Professor Jeff Jones, director (applications) of Queensland University of Technology's creative industries research and application centre.

The delegations and their New Zealand counterparts will report to Vaile and Sutton on opportunities for cooperation and what governments may be able to do to help.

Dairy industry delegations are expected to discuss such emerging issues as labelling and the debate over genetically modified foods, but will also look at joint moves on international markets.

"The Australia-New Zealand dairy industries contribute almost half the world's dairy exports, and the two sectors are becoming increasingly interrelated through cross-ownership and investment," the official said.

"These synergies suggest scope for integration in years to come."

The official said that with international competition increasing in the global ICT sector, it was vital for both Australia and New Zealand to be smart and tough.

"Importantly, we have to work together to combine our strengths and skills in order to be more competitive in the international marketplace."

He said discussions between the transtasman ICT delegations would focus on opportunities for expanding biotechnology applications, and closer co-operation on funding and in the delivery of research and development services.

They would also cover the scope for joint marketing, particularly in emerging markets.