THE Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon. Steve Ciobo MP, has announced the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA), the peak body for Australia's ocean freight exporters as designated under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, as a recipient of the Austrade Free Trade Agreement Training Provider Grant.

The Coalition has invested $2.145 million over two years in the training provider grants program, which is part of the Government's strategy to help businesses adapt and diversify as the economy transitions from the mining investment boom.

The Coalition's ground-breaking free trade agreements with China, Japan and Korea, in particular, are delivering significant economic benefits.

Exports to these key markets have risen 140 per cent since 2014, a surge that is driving economic growth and creating jobs as Australian exporters take advantage of lower tariffs and expanded market access.

Importantly, FTAs open opportunities for Australian exporters and investors to expand their businesses into key overseas markets. FTAs can improve market access across all areas of trade – goods, services and investment – and help to maintain and stimulate the competitiveness of Australian businesses by:

• Creating freer trade flows and stronger ties with our trading partners;
• Eliminating tariffs;
• Address behind-the-border barriers that impede the flow of goods and services between parties;
• Increasing Australia's productivity by allowing domestic businesses access to cheaper inputs, introducing new technologies, and fostering competition and innovation;
• Encouraging regional economic integration and build shared approaches to trade and investment, including through the adoption of common Rules of Origin and through broader acceptance of product standards; and
• Enhancing the competitiveness of Australian exports in the partner market, and add to the attractiveness of Australia as an investment destination.

An e-learning course titled "North Asia Free Trade Agreement Guide for Importers and Exporters" is the centre-piece of the training program developed by APSA.

The course is structured as a self-paced e-learning course incorporating audio, text and reference materials. The course has been designed to provide fundamental knowledge on FTA compliance requirements.

Including the optional online assessment, the course takes approximately two (2) hours to complete covering the following key areas:

• Understand what are FTA's and how business can benefit from them;
• Know the importance of North Asian FTA tariff arrangements;
• Be able to identify the customs tariff code for goods;
• Understand how imported and exported goods will be treated by either country by reading their tariff schedules;
• Know how the steps required to determine whether your goods meet Rules of Origin requirements;
• Know the Certificate of Origin documentation requirements for your goods; and
• Understand the consequences of not completing Certificate of Origin documentation correctly.

As a part of the Austrade grant, APSA has also commenced delivery of a series of training events to industry, including webinars and face-to-face sessions. This training is freely available to members and non-members of the Association and is suitable for export operators, freight forwarders and any employee involved in export supply chain operations. Content also attracts CPD points for licensed customs brokers.

• Export Trade Compliance / ChAFTA Declarations of Origin
• Non-Tariff Barriers to Trade
• Introduction to ChAFTA / Tax Considerations Specific to the Chinese Market
• Introduction to JAEPA / Tax Considerations Specific to the Japanese Market
• Introduction to KAFTA / Tax Considerations Specific to the Korean Market
• FTAs and other issues for Agriculture exporters
• Scams, bribery and corruption – Managing risks in a dishonest world
• Selling into China

Content has been developed in partnership with Hunt & Hunt Lawyers, Australia's leading international trade law specialist, and Crowe Howarth, a major global accounting firm with expertise in international tax.

The e-learning content and recorded webinars are currently freely available at www.CompliancenetFTA.com.au with scheduled live webinars available at www.FTAlliance.com.au upcoming-events

For further detail please contact me direct at pzalai@FTAlliance.com.au or 02 9975 1878.

Paul Zalai is director at Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) and an advocate of the freight and trade sectors.
www.FTAlliance.com.au