MARS Petcare will give evidence about the opportunities for milkfish aquaculture to supply product to the pet food industry when it appears before the Northern Australia Committee in Canberra on Tuesday, 13 October.

The public hearing is part of the committee’s inquiry into opportunities to expand the aquaculture industry in Northern Australia.

Committee Chair, the Hon Warren Entsch MP, said: ‘Milkfish is a non-carnivorous fish which has been grown in Asia for hundreds of years in a variety of aquaculture systems. As a tropical fish suited for pond aquaculture, milkfish production in Northern Australia could provide the pet food industry with an important high quality ingredient.’

Large scale milkfish aquaculture is undertaken in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Milkfish is an important ingredient in cat food.

Where: Committee Room 2R2, Parliament House, Canberra
When: Tuesday, 13 October 2015, 6.15 pm–6.55 pm

Hearing programs are available at: www.aph.gov.au/jscna

ends

A TREATY designed to ensure the safety of workers, cargo and the overall safety of ships at sea is one of three to be considered by the Treaties Committee at a public hearing on Monday.

The treaty deals with amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the changes will tighten the requirements for verifying the weight of containers before they are loaded to ships, improve fire safety measures and ensure that cargo ships carry the equipment to test air quality in enclosed spaces.

The second treaty will provide a framework of practical arrangements for Brazil and Australia to exchange evidence and information for the purpose of investigating or prosecuting serious crimes. Australia now has 29 mutual legal assistance treaties in place with other countries.

The last treaty establishes an air services agreement with Laos, opening the way for airlines to expand air travel between the two countries. These agreements ensure that Australian safety and security standards are met while providing an opportunity to increase tourism and export activity.

Public Hearing: Monday 12 October 2015,

Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House Canberra

11.10am  International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
11.45am  Treaty between Australia and the Federative Republic of Brazil on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
12.20pm  Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic relating to Air Services
1.00pm  Close

The hearing will be broadcast through: www.aph.gov.au/live
Hearing programs, copies of the treaties and submissions received can be found at  www.aph.gov.au/jsct 

ends

THE Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) has welcomed the news of the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.

“The IPA has advocated that while Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and other trade agreements are beneficial to our economy, more can be done to realise the benefits, especially for small business and small-to-medium enterprises,” said IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway.

“The TPP region represents 32.6 per cent of Australia’s trade as at 2013 and 37.5 per cent of global GDP; its significance cannot be overstated.

“We are very pleased to see the TPP goes beyond the traditional view and seeks to ensure that the benefits of the TPP extend to SMEs.

“But we also acknowledge that greater opportunities for SMEs seem to come with growing complexity with the TPP sitting alongside existing FTAs and the plethora of trade agreements around the world.

“It is therefore beneficial that the TPP promotes mutual recognition of professional qualifications (and best practice regulations for professions like law).  It is also essential that we promote trade in services where Australia can be competitive. 

“IPA especially applauds that the TPP is not just about trade and economics but also looks at the ‘horizontal issues’; that is, the regulatory and legal framework with the intention of promoting transparency and regulatory coherence as well as capacity building through regional integration around the Asia-Pacific region.

“We are excited about the future prospects of the TPP going forward and the potential to boost Australia’s exports.  Further recommendations can be found in the IPA’s Australian Small Business White Paper,” said Mr Conway.

www.publicaccountants.org.au

ends

THE Australian Made Campaign has issued a reminder to businesses to boost country-of-origin branding on products and produce as an important part of their strategy to leverage the new export opportunities available via the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

“The TPP will significantly reduce trade barriers, opening up new markets for Aussie growers and manufacturers, but it is important that they make the most of the marketing opportunity presented by ‘being Aussie’,” Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison said.

“Prominent country-of-origin branding will play a key role in driving sales in the Pacific region, which has demonstrated increasing demand for Australian products and produce.”

The Australian Made Campaign administers and promotes the country’s only registered country-of-origin certification trade mark for all classes of Australian goods, the green-and-gold Australian Made, Australian Grown kangaroo logo.

“The stylised kangaroo has been used to promote genuine Aussie products and produce for almost three decades, and the research shows it works,” Mr Harrison said.

Research clearly establishes that the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo is by far Australia’s most recognised and trusted country-of-origin symbol.

In addition, surveys conducted by YSC Online in 2010 found that products carrying the logo in export markets were more likely to have increased sales than those which did not.

“Australia has earned itself a reputation for making and growing high quality products and produce, with the Australian dollar falling in value, demand for Aussie exports is growing strongly,” Mr Harrison said.

“For many small businesses involved in export, the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo, with its proven, established links to Australia, becomes their strongest brand in the marketplace.”

In addition to its role as a marketing tool in countries worldwide, the logo is already a registered certification trade mark in TPP nations Singapore and the USA. Plans for further registrations are underway.

ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MADE, AUSTRALIAN GROWN LOGO

The green-and-gold Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) logo is the only registered country-of-origin certification trade mark for the full range of genuine Australian products and produce.

The AMAG logo supports growers, processors and manufacturers in Australia by helping businesses to clearly identify to consumers that their products are Australian. At the same time it provides consumers with a highly recognised and trusted symbol for genuine Aussie products and produce. It does both of these things in conjunction with a campaign encouraging consumers to look for the logo when shopping; it has been doing this since its introduction by the federal Government in 1986.

The AMAG logo can only be used on products that are registered with the not-for-profit organisation Australian Made Campaign Limited. The strict set of rules governing the logo’s use also require that it must always be used with one of five descriptors; ‘Australian Made’, ‘Australian Grown’, ‘Product of Australia’, ‘Australian Seafood’ or ‘Australian’ (for export use only). To use the logo goods must meet the criteria set out in the Australian Consumer Law as well the more stringent Australian Made, Australian Grown Logo Code of Practice. More than 2350 businesses are registered to use the AMAG logo, which can be found on some 15,000 products sold here and around the world.

www.australianmade.com.au

ends