Tony Crook (O'Connor, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I draw the House’s attention to a significant regional issue for my electorate of O’Connor and the state of Western Australia: the opportunities for businesses in regional WA to access the export market has been hindered following Austrade’s decision to remove several TradeStart offices from regional Western Australia and to shift their focus to the metropolitan area. Previously, TradeStart operated seven offices in WA, including an office in Albany, in the Great Southern, and one at Geraldton in the mid-west. However, this program has now been scaled back to just two offices in the state—one located in the metropolitan area and one located in Bunbury in the south-west.

It is expected that the south-west TradeStart office will continue to service the Albany and Great Southern region; however, it has been indicated to me by the Albany community that this will not be an acceptable solution. TradeStart is a federal government initiative developed to assist small to medium sized businesses to export for the first time. The value of TradeStart will be significantly reduced when business representatives can only receive assistance and support over the phone or online rather than visit a TradeStart office and meet staff face to face. I believe the withdrawal of a TradeStart program from regional Western Australia—and it is a withdrawal—will be to the detriment of our small to medium sized businesses who wish to expand into the export market.

The issue of retaining a TradeStart office for the Great Southern has been raised with me, and it is my understanding that this position is so highly valued in the community that the Great Southern Development Commission in Albany continues to run the program, providing a dedicated TradeStart officer for the region out of its own pocket. This is a very strong indication of the program’s value. However, it is not the responsibility of the Great Southern Development Commission to provide this service; rather, it is the responsibility of the federal government. The Great Southern Development Commission has shown great merit in allowing this service to continue. However, they are not in a financial position to continue providing this assistance.

The Great Southern region of Western Australia is a large and vibrant area ripe with export opportunities. In addition to broadacre agriculture, which is the area’s traditional industry base, the Great Southern also plays host to wine, dairy and plantation timber industries—three industries that are currently facing significant challenges to remain viable and competitive. The ability for these industries to re-establish themselves could be further hampered by a lack of local support to enter the export market. As an example, I draw the attention of the House to the problems currently facing the wine industry, including oversupply and a loss of market share in traditional markets. Gaining export sales in new markets in Asia presents an opportunity for wine producers in my electorate and elsewhere to address such issues. In a situation like this, guidance and assistance in breaking into these new markets is vital.

The Great Southern is on the cusp of becoming Australia’s next boomtown region, with a number of significant developments set to occur in coming years that will greatly contribute to economic and population growth. A large mining operation is soon to begin near Albany and will be an economic driver in the community. The WA state government has also confirmed that they will be expanding the Dampier to Bunbury natural gas pipeline into the Great Southern. This will benefit many of the towns in the Great Southern and is expected to play a major role in encouraging new businesses to the region. These factors will all contribute to the same flow-on effect: more small businesses will require the experience and support of a dedicated TradeStart office in the region.

I would like to emphasise to the House the number of industries in the Great Southern that will benefit from the service. Agriculture, resources, plantation forestry, wine and dairy—these industries are the backbone of our economy. The small-business community, the family-run winery, the local surfboard manufacturer, the gourmet pantry on the corner—these small businesses are the backbone of our regional towns and are an important part of making our towns feel like a community. These industries rely on the support of the federal government and the TradeStart program to give them the best chance on the international market. I hope the federal government is able to recognise this and will allow regional Western Australians to continue to access TradeStart services beyond Perth and Bunbury.