Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

Some of the second grouping of questions might need to be taken on notice, but I ask the minister to confirm that since 1995-96, when the government came to office, the real value of the EMDG has been halved. I ask the minister to confirm that, earlier this year, Austrade advised him that, if funds for the EMDG were not increased, funds to be received by eligible businesses would have to be rationed and that the first tranche guarantee limit of $70,000, for example, would have to be reduced to $50,000. That was the advice we understand the minister got from Austrade. We understand that, in turn, he wrote to the Prime Minister before the budget seeking additional funds for Austrade. What I would like to know is why the Prime Minister refused to support Australian exporters with additional assistance. I say that against the background of the government’s target set back in October 2001 when the then trade minister, Mark Vaile, announced, ‘The government will aim to double the number of exporting Australian companies by the year 2006.’ He further stated that 28,000 Australian companies exported in the year that he made the commitment.

The facts are that, far from doubling the number of exporters from 28,000 to 56,000 in the time frame now past, there has only been an increase to 42,000 in the number of exporters. In other words, the target is only half—

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