Pursuing Australia’s trade interests at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference
Breakthroughs in Australian sportstech creating markets overseas
To celebrate the 2024 Australian Open, on 25 January 2024 DFAT’s Victoria State Office hosted a conference on sports technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
The conference brought together industry leaders to explore Australia’s rapidly growing, $4.5 billion sportstech and AI sector, and opportunities for international expansion. Alan Goh, CEO of Sport Singapore, delivered the keynote address, and outlined the potential for further collaboration between the Australian sportstech sector and those in other countries such as Singapore. Industry leaders agreed that Australia has two major advantages in the global sportstech sector. The huge popularity of sport in Australia creates a diverse and sophisticated consumer base, allowing sportstech companies to develop products in a small, dense market. And Australia’s cutting-edge sportstech research institutes, such as La Trobe and Deakin Universities, help to streamline the development of new technologies, often in partnership with professional sports clubs and athletes. Exciting breakthroughs are occurring in AI, including the development of tools that can monitor all aspects of athletic performance and deliver more interactive fan experiences. All these advantages make Australia not only an attractive market for larger global players to invest in but also a launchpad for Australian companies seeking to commercialise and take products overseas.
The conference highlighted two notable success stories. Zena Sport, a Victorian company that manufactures advanced female breast and rib protection vests, has seen a surge in demand in tandem with the growing global popularity of women’s sport. Based on its patented technology, Zena Sport’s vests have become a mainstay for professional female athletes in Australia and overseas. Catapult, another Victorian company, has developed wearable performance trackers with the Australian Institute of Sport. Catapult has expanded into a global sportstech leader – its products are now worn across 39 sports in 137 countries. Australia’s sportstech sector includes companies and institutes working at the intersection of sport, media, entertainment, active living and technology. More information on Australia’s sportstech sector can be found here: www.astn.com.au
Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell and Assistant Minister for Trade Tim Ayres led Australia’s delegation to the 13th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference (MC13) in February in Abu Dhabi to prosecute Australia’s interests in WTO reform, including fixing the dispute settlement system, and strengthening the WTO framework of global trade rules. These rules and their enforcement provide the security and predictability needed for our businesses, exporters and producers to trade with the world.
Australia worked hard with other members on a commitment to accelerate our efforts to fix the WTO dispute settlement system this year. As we have seen with our disputes on barley and wine, the WTO dispute settlement system provides a way for countries to resolve their trade disputes by the application of agreed rules and norms, rather than by power and size. This is vitally important for a medium-sized country like Australia. Minister Farrell said the WTO dispute settlement system remained an important mechanism to get the best outcomes for Australia’s world-class producers and farmers. Against strong reservations by a small number of countries, Australia pushed to renew the e-commerce moratorium (the suspension of customs duties on digital transmissions) at MC13. The moratorium plays a vital role in facilitating digital trade by ensuring electronic transmissions, such as streaming video and email, can cross borders without incurring duties and has underpinned growth
of the digital economy for over 25 years. Ministers at MC13 welcomed the finalisation of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement. This plurilateral agreement will help promote reforms by partners, including in our region, to help them attract and benefit from high-quality investment, including from Australian companies. Australia also participated in important ministerial discussions on industrial policy, environmental sustainability, and economic inclusion – all priorities for Australia’s trade policy – to better position the WTO to tackle key global trade challenges and meet the needs of all members into the future. Despite active efforts by Australia, as Chair of the Cairns Group, no outcome was possible on agricultural reform. However, we successfully defended the current rules from efforts to wind them back that would have
negatively impacted our agricultural industries, as well as global food security. Australia was also disappointed that WTO members did not reach agreement on additional disciplines on fisheries subsidies, but we will continue to work with our Pacific partners and other members on this important contribution to the sustainability agenda. Australia joined all WTO Members in welcoming the accessions of Timor- Leste and Comoros to the WTO at MC13, demonstrating that countries still see significant value in joining. Australia will continue to assist Timor-Leste achieve its WTO goals. Assistant Minister Ayres emphasised the importance of the WTO, which underpins over three- quarters of global goods trade and provides a platform to tackle global trade-related challenges. Above: Australian Trade Minister Senator The Hon Don Farrell and Chair of the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi
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business envoy
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
business envoy
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