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TRADESTART
SALLY
CHANDLER
Get online export advantage
T
he new “Free Trade Advantage’’ e-learning and
resources website has just been launched by the
Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister, Senator Simon Birmingham. It is a practical guide to
help exporters navigate the benefits of Australia’s Free Trade
Agreements.
The Austrade administered website provides an
introduction to FTAs, information on how to use FTAs,
FTA market insights, information on online exporting and
government support for businesses.
A link to the very informative FTA portal where current
tariffs and rules of origin are supplied on a country-bycountry basis where Australia has negotiated FTAs is also
included.
The web link is https://freetradeadvantage.gov.au/ and
users can sign up with email address and password to gain
access to the full information.
Other Austrade resources include full information plus
the Fact Sheet on the International Freight Assistance
Mechanism –
www.austrade.
gov.au/
News/News/
internationalfreight-assistancemechanism
- providing
regularly updated
Expansion opportunities online
outbound and
inbound flight schedules and information on the goods that
are eligible for IFAM support.
IFAM was established by the Australian Government
in April 2020 with $110 million in funding to help keep
air freight supply chains open in these uncertain times of
dramatically reduced passenger aircraft flight numbers
globally which carried a significant amount of freight in their
hold.
A further injection of $241.9 million was announced in
July and then a further $317.1 million was announced in the
October Budget to extend IFAM until the middle of 2021.
This initiative has enabled more than 160,000 tonnes
of air freight to be exported or committed for export to 66
international destinations between April and early December
this year.
The Austrade information on expanding your business
through online exporting is particularly timely during the
pandemic – www.austrade.gov.au/ecommerce – where an
increasing number of households globally have switched away
from retail to online purchasing. Many international markets
are seeing double digit growth in online sales.
Austrade created the Online Exporting Guide to help
Australian businesses understand the process, reduce the risks
involved and to maximise returns. It is at www.austrade.gov.
au/ecommerce-guide/guide/about-this-guide .
Contact the TCCI’s TradeStart Adviser, Sally Chandler, at
sally.chandler@tcci.com.au or phone 0408 888 311.
App fuels huge savings at bowser
I
N THE past three months it’s estimated the Tasmanian
Government’s FuelCheckTAS App has helped motorists
save tens of thousands of dollars.
Building and Construction Minister Elise Archer said
more than 10,000 Tasmanians had accessed real-time fuel
prices through the free app since it was introduced on
September 18.
Ms Archer said the website helped motorists find the best
deal for fuel around the state.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the
associated reduction in economic activity, global oil prices
fell significantly in February 2020 and remain subdued.
While fuel prices interstate reduced quickly in line with
global oil markets, the same did not occur in Tasmania.
“Our Government remains committed to reducing the
cost of living for all Tasmanians and that is why, to help put
downward pressure on fuel prices, we announced in May
2020 the introduction of a mandatory real-time fuel price
reporting scheme,” Ms Archer said.
FuelCheck TAS allows motorists to find the cheapest
fuel near their location. Motorists can easily use the app or
website to search for fuel by location, price, fuel type and
brand.
Under the scheme, fuel retailers are now required to
update their prices within 30 minutes of making a change
to fuel prices, providing enhanced transparency for
consumers.
Building and Construction Minister Elise Archer,
left, with RACT executive general manager,
membership and community, Stacey Pennicott at the
FuelCheckTAS launch.
Ms Archer said more than 240 fuel retailers had already
registered for the scheme, creating real competition for the
motorist dollar.
She urged Tasmanian fuel retailers to ensure that any
global price reductions were passed on to consumers as a
matter of priority.
Figures from Consumer, Building and Occupational
Services, which administers the Government scheme,
show a 23 cent per litre difference between the highest and
lowest U91 fuel prices reported between September and
October – a potential saving of nearly $7 on a 30-litre tank.
The difference between the highest and lowest prices for
diesel reported was 29c, which was a potential saving of
$14.50 on a 50-litre tank.
“These savings are welcome and highlight the expected
continued success of the scheme,” Ms Archer said.
To raise awareness of the scheme, CBOS has been
actively engaging with industry groups and fuel retailers,
both larger providers and smaller independent stations,
ensuring all retailers are informed of their responsibilities
under the scheme and encouraging support.
Existing fuel retailers were required to implement realtime fuel price reporting within two weeks of the start of
the scheme. New fuel retailers must register for the scheme
prior to selling fuel, given the scheme is mandatory. The
reporting of price information by retailers is also being
closely monitored by the Government.
Motoring group RACT estimates that Tasmanians
overall saved $115,000 on unleaded fuel costs during the
four weeks since the Government’s app, its associated
website and mandatory real-time fuel price reporting, were
introduced.
Tasmanians have been encouraged to download the app
to increase market pressure and both improve competition.
Download at the Google Play Store and Apple.
TASMANIAN BUSINESS REPORTER, November 2020 15
