APIBC - Australian Pacific Islands Business Council

Building stronger business relationships between Australia and the Pacific

RECENT EVENTS

3rd AUSTRALIA SOLOMON ISLANDS BUSINESS FORUM

BRISBANE, FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER 2011.

The 3rd Australia Solomon Islands Business Forum held in Brisbane was attended by more than 100 delegates from Australia and Solomon Islands. The full day's program many current issues relating to doing business in the Solomons were presented and discussed, including the political, economic, commercial and investment climate in Solomon Islands. The forum also provided excellent opportunities for contact with a range of senior businesspeople with wide experience of doing business in Solomon Islands.

The Hon Peter Shanel MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Solomon Islands, and the Hon Justine Elliot MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade of Australia, delivered the keynote addresses for the Forum.

CDs containing all the presentations made on the day are available from the Secretariat. Please find the order form here.

PAST EVENTS

7th AUSTRALIA NEW CALEDONIA BUSINESS FORUM, BRISBANE, FRIDAY 8 JULY 2011.

This one day forum featureed expert presentations on the current political, economic, commercial and investment climate in New Caledonia with a special focus on opportunities in the mining and resources sector, and in education and training. The forum also provides excellent opportunities for contact with a range of senior businesspeople with wide experience of doing business in New Caledonia. Bilateral trade in goods and services between Australia and New Caledonia is growing. There are excellent export opportunities in a wide range of sectors, including mining and related industries, agri-business, marine products, food and beverages, IT systems, and more. A CD of the presentations made at the Forum can be obtained here.

PACIFIC ISLANDS BUSINESS CONFERENCE ON REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION, NADI, FIJI, MONDAY 20 JUNE 2011.

"PACIFIC REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION IS NOT AN OPTION, BUT A NECESSITY FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH!"

PACER Plus is arguably the most significant economic and trade policy issue ever in the Pacific islands. There is a wide spectrum of opportunity offered by PACER Plus.At its minimalist point it could offer some minor changes to tariffs and rules of origin. At its most visionary point it could launch the Pacific islands countries onto a very long term path to have a business and economic relationship with Australia and New Zealand such as Australia and New Zealand have developed with each other since 1983 under the Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Trade Relations Agreement (ANZCERTA, or CER). Such an outcome would in the long run include free movement amongst all participating economies of goods, services and people.

This regional business conference, arranged by the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council with the Australia Papua New Guinea Business Council and the Australia Fiji Business Council, gave business representatives from around the region the opportunity to speak to each other about these challenges and opportunities, and to convey messages to governments and thereby assist governments have a better understanding of what business needs as outcomes from the negotiating process rather than just what the governments themselves may think is needed.

Business speakers at the conference were representative of a range of sectors in several Pacific islands economies. A statement summarising the outcomes of the conference can be found here. A CD containing the presentations made at the Conference is available for purchase here.

2nd AUSTRALIA SOLOMON ISLANDS BUSINESS FORUM PRESENTATIONS AVAILABLE ON CD.

Some 90 participants attended the 2nd Australia Solomon Islands Business Forum held in Brisbane on Friday 22nd October. With 19 speakers making up the full day's program many current issues relating to doing business in the Solomons were presented and discussed, including the political, economic, commercial and investment climate in Solomon Islands. The forum also provided excellent opportunities for contact with a range of senior businesspeople with wide experience of doing business in Solomon Islands.

The Hon Danny Philip MP, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, and the Hon Justine Elliot MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade of Australia, delivered the keynote addresses for the Forum.

CDs containing all the presentations made on the day are available from the Secretariat. Please find the order form here.

Established in 2000, the Council is a non-profit association of Australia-based businesses with interests in the Pacific island economies. Membership is also open to businesses and organisations located in the Pacific island countries.

The management of the Council is vested under the constitution in an Executive Committee, headed by a President and three Vice-Presidents, elected at an Annual General Meeting of members.

The Council’s goals are to advance the interests of Australian business in the Pacific island economies and Pacific islands’ business with interests in Australia by:

increasing bilateral trade and investment between Australia and the region;
encouraging the further development and expansion of the economies of the Pacific island economies;
representing Australian business interests to the Australian and Pacific islands governments;
providing a network of business people with shared interests in the Pacific island economies.

The Council advances Australian business interests in Pacific Island economies through:

regular dialogue at Australian and Pacific Islands Ministerial level on policy issues of concern to Australian business;
the receiving and sending of trade and investment delegations between Australia and Pacific island economies;
the holding of trade, investment and information seminars on the Pacific island economies;
dissemination to members of information on current economic, political and social developments in the Pacific island economies;
providing access to a network of Australian businesses with long experience in the Pacific island economies with whom members can seek and share information.

Membership of the Council will connect you with a network of business people with interests in the following countries and territories in the Pacific islands region:

American Samoa
Cook Islands
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
East Timor
Federated States of Micronesia
French Polynesia
Guam
Kiribati
Nauru
New Caledonia
Niue
Palau
Republic of the Marshall Islands
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Wallis and Futuna
Vanuatu

Click here for information on Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

APIBC membership covers a wide range of industry groups from large corporations to smaller companies. Some of the industries represented are:

shipping
freight forwarding
transport
accountancy/audit
insurance
petroleum
food/confectionery
trading companies
manufacturing
airlines
management consultancy
building & construction
banking
tobacco
legal services
engineering
logistics

To become a member, you need to complete an application form and submit it with your subscription payment to:
Australia Pacific Islands Business Council
P O Box 422
WYNNUM QLD 4178.

The Australia Pacific Islands Business Council does not directly cover Fiji and Papua-New Guinea.

Australian businesses with interests in Fiji should join the Australia Fiji Business Council, and those with interests in Papua-New Guinea should join the Australia Papua-New Guinea Business Council. These other bilateral Business Councils operate in parallel with the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council, and many businesses find their interests best served by having membership two or three of the Councils.

The three Councils operate a combined Secretariat, so contact details for the Australia Papua New Guinea Business Council and the Australia Fiji Business Council are the same as for the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council.