Austrade

So thank you very much to those people who've given me their unsolicited feedback and telling me that they're finding it both informative and enjoyable, which of course is where we want it to be.

But one of those people who I think sent both of us an email, Dave, was the new Austrade or Australian Trade Commissioner for the Pacific, Rachel Howard.

So a big welcome out to Rachel, to her new role based in Suva.

And also a thank you to her for the feedback she gave about the podcast.

And as I said, I think I've greatly admired the Smart Energy Council and its achievements for years.

And when I went on the recap trade, Austrade thing to China a couple of months back and saw the regard with which John Grimes was held in China for what he has essentially helped the battery industry achieve.

It made me realize what a difference trade organizations make.

And I think, you know, they still have a big role and I'd like to see more focused policy amongst the whole group of them, particularly when it gets to the utility side of things.

So Tom's been speaking to Dr. Martin Henkelman, who's the CEO of the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce from Germany this morning.

We've also been speaking to the boss of Austrade.

Now, that is the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.

Dr. Paul Grimes is the CEO.

We are talking trade links this morning, not just because of that state visit to Germany, although Tom is going to be chatting to the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce a little bit later on.

But we're going south first because it has been nearly a year since the UAE's Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or SEPA, that it had signed with Australia came into effect.

So what effect has it had? We're very pleased to be joined, relatively fresh off the plane, by the CEO of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, or Austrade, Dr Paul Grimes.

It's lovely to meet you.

It brings you on to an important point, right? Yeah.

Austrade celebrated the AU-EU FTA as some sort of landmark deal, which basically ropes us into the Paris Accord, which means that they can terminate that free trade agreement if we step out of line with regards to, you know, complying with paris accord this is an absolute joke why do you think gunter and hilda when germany when they're buying uh you know some uh first nations uh muesli they care about first nations music or do they care about it's the best muesli comes from someplace in nimbin yeah wherever that's what they care about they don't care about the environmental impacts right they're just buying good products I actually would say that it's not an official party platform, but I was in the Cessnock Leeds Club and I got a cold drink with a paper straw and I said, do you think it would be a good idea to bring plastic straws back? I don't know if that could be a vote winner, but I'll put it out there and I'd be interested to see what your audience think about it.

Yeah.

know small thing but you know sometimes some of those luxuries yeah

My first job out of university was with KPMG, where I started as a graduate.

And I now work as a diplomat for the Australian government for Austrade, New Delhi, leading a team across South Asia.

And I believe you're the senior most representative for Australia in the region, right? If I know correctly.

I should say, though, I mean, that that was my first formal job, which was out of university.

So back then, a lot of the focus, I did advise a lot of Australian companies on entering India, but a lot of my focus was on advising large Indian companies on entering Australia and advising them on acquiring assets in Australia.

Back then,

and it's no different today, because in our work at Austrade, we help Australian companies enter India, but we also help Indian companies invest in Australia.

So I get to still see both aspects as I did back in the day as well.

Uh, we've had a lot of interest, um, exporting our product.

Um, so we'll apply through the Austrade, um, export, um, grant too.

Uh, so there is, there is funding available for startups.

Um, but the, the key learning, um, for Alpine Energy was we had to go from a technical solution- ... to having a commercial product that is profes- professionally presented.

So I moved to Kiama in 2022.

I was working previously in Brisbane for Austrade, the federal trade agency.

And in 2022, my father was in aged care, passed away.

So I thought I'll take a year off and sort of process all that.

Let's have a listen to how they created the sound of Australia

AustraliaThe Austrade Sonic logo is built from three distinct layers.

First, the unmistakable call of the Australian whipbird [whipbird calls] combined with treated sounds from the natural environment [sounds play].

Next, the human voice.

A female vocalist echoes the shape of the whipbird call, layered with subtle hums and lower register vocals to give the sound depth and warmth [singing].

Finally, a crafted synthetic chord, blending synthesizer, violin, and cello [sounds play].

Nature, voice, music: three unique layers that come together to create the complete Austrade Sonic logo, and here it is in full [sounds play].

There was a bit that took me right back to six-year-old me going to Barnsley Baths, and that was a s- a sound that w- meant the wave machine was about to come on.

Um, you really raised the profile for the region with our, with the NZTE customers, with the companies from New Zealand that are working across the region.

Um, but also I think the collaboration that you had with people like Austrade and others out of Australia in particular, but, but also with local people and, and the relationships that you've formed within both Fiji and the wider Pacific.

So I think, um, Dave, you know, on behalf of New Zealand, I'd just say a big thank you for, for all the effort that you've put in over the last five, six years.

Oh, tha- thank you, Glenn.