Today the Federal Government simplified rules for the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program to support export development and growth in new markets.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said the reforms would give upfront funding certainty to exporters before they committed to international marketing activities.
“Australia is a trading nation, and the export of our high-quality goods and services supports jobs and businesses in our country,” Mr Tehan said.
“Our Government is supporting Australian businesses to compete and succeed internationally. We provided more than $192 million to more than 4,000 Australian businesses to support their exporting activities through the EMDG program in 2019-20; these businesses employed more than 70,000 people and generated around $4.3 billion in export income.
“Cutting red tape around the EMDG program will help more businesses take advantage of our Government’s support.”
Alcohol Beverages Australia has welcomed the initiative predicting it will be a shot in the arm for Australia’s wine, beer and spirits producers.
ABA CEO Andrew Wilsmore said: “Australia has a world class field of wineries, distillers, and brewers whose continued success rests on international trade and reaching global consumers.
“With Deloitte Access Economics, we have done the research and know we can double our sector’s exports by four billion dollars over the next decade. What the government has done has given those small and medium enterprises a new incentive to grow and expand their award-winning drinks into overseas markets.”
The government has promised that the process:
- requires less documentation
- means businesses need only apply once for grants of two to three years, rather than annually
- funding will be specified in the grant agreement.
Applications will be made via a simpler online portal. New rules are available here.
The new EMDG rules are available here.
