Australia a Guide to the Market

Australia A Guide to the Market 2009 Edition A guide for foreign suppliers and Australian importers Australia – A Guide to the Market 2009 Edition Unless otherwise indicated, all values in this report are in Australian Dollars (A$). On 5 March 2009, A$1.00 was equivalent to US$0.651. Trade Statistics in this report are sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Whilst every care has been taken in preparation of the material in this guide, no responsibility is taken for any errors, admissions or any information provided in the guide nor for the standing of any firms, companies or individuals mentioned in the guide. 5 March 2009 Published by: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (Inc) 180 Hay Street, East Perth WA 6004 PO Box 6209, East Perth WA 6892 Tel: +618 9365 7555 Fax: +618 9365 7616 Website: www.cciwa.com Editor: Ian Whitaker, Senior Trade Adviser, International Trade Centre E-mail: [email protected] © Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia. All rights reserved. Page 2 Australia – A Guide to the Market 2009 Edition Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................... 5 Major population centres ................................................................................ 7 Sydney ........................................................................................................ 7 Melbourne................................................................................................... 7 Brisbane...................................................................................................... 8 Perth............................................................................................................ 8 Adelaide...................................................................................................... 8 Canberra...................................................................................................... 9 Hobart ......................................................................................................... 9 Darwin ........................................................................................................ 9 The Australian Consumers’ Tastes and Preferences .................................... 10 Importers’ Attitudes...................................................................................... 10 The Australian Economy ............................................................................... 12 Merchandise Trade ....................................................................................... 12 Domestic Production .................................................................................... 13 Mining and Energy Resources.................................................................. 14 Agriculture and Fisheries.......................................................................... 14 Services..................................................................................................... 15 Manufacturing .......................................................................................... 16 International Trade and Balance of Payments.............................................. 17 Economic Outlook........................................................................................ 18 Australian Imports and Overseas Suppliers................................................ 20 Import Trends and Future Developments..................................................... 21 Major Overseas Suppliers............................................................................. 22 Australia’s Import Regime ............................................................................ 23 Customs Duties............................................................................................. 23 Textiles, Clothing and Footwear .................................................................. 25 General Handicraft Concessions .................................................................. 26 Quarantine Regulations ................................................................................ 26 Mandatory Treatments.................................................................................. 27 Timber and Logs....................................................................................... 27 Packing Materials ..................................................................................... 27 Cut Flowers............................................................................................... 29 Animal Products ....................................................................................... 29 Endangered Species Regulations.................................................................. 30 Import Channels and Distribution................................................................ 32 Role of Importer ........................................................................................... 32 Role of Overseas Buying Agents.................................................................. 33 Importance of the Major Australian Retailers .............................................. 33 Mark-ups in the Distribution Channel .......................................................... 39 Goods and Services Tax ............................................................................... 40 Buying Periods and Order Volumes ............................................................. 41 Buying Periods ............................................................................................. 41 Order Volumes ............................................................................................. 42 Other Important Regulations and Standards.............................................. 43 Packaging and Labelling Regulations .......................................................... 43 Electronic Business Processes .................................................................. 43 © Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia. All rights reserved. Page 3 Australia – A Guide to the Market 2009 Edition The Impact of Social Change ................................................................... 43 The Environment ...................................................................................... 43 Consumer Demands.................................................................................. 43 General standards for all imported packaged products............................. 44 Specific products ...................................................................................... 44 Exemptions ............................................................................................... 46 GS1 Numbering System and Bar Coding................................................. 48 The GS1 Numbering System.................................................................... 48 Bar Coding................................................................................................ 48 Standards ...................................................................................................... 49 Selling to the Market ...................................................................................... 51 Quotations and Payment............................................................................... 51 Documentation.............................................................................................. 52 Developing Country Preference ............................................................... 52 Lead Times in Import Transactions.............................................................. 53 Freight........................................................................................................... 53 Warehouse Packaging................................................................................... 54 Approaching Australian Importers .............................................................. 55 The Competitive Nature of the Market......................................................... 55 Importance of Retail Packaging ................................................................... 55 How to approach the Australian Importer .................................................... 56 Effective Promotion in Australia................................................................... 58 Specialised selling missions ......................................................................... 58 Participation in specialised trade displays .................................................... 59 Individual Country Displays......................................................................... 59 Buying Missions........................................................................................... 60 Image in the Market...................................................................................... 60 People to help you........................................................................................... 62 © Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia. All rights reserved. Page 4 Australia – A Guide to the Market 2009 Edition Introduction The Australian market offers both opportunities and challenges for new foreign suppliers of goods and services. While the country is almost as large as mainland USA, the population of 21.0 million is only around half that of the State of California. Whilst the population of Australia is small, it is a significant importer

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