Australia’s Most Business-Friendly Foreign Missions

Have you ever imagined your Australian products being consumed on the banks of the Seine?

Have you developed a technology that you just know would change the way business is done in the Pacific Islands?

Or perhaps you are a Chinese business, looking to deploy staff in an Australian subsidiary?

Vision Meets Execution

Doing business at home is hard enough. Expanding that business offshore even more so. 

You might have the best product or service in the world – but how does the world know that? 

The answer to marrying your vision with its successful execution might very well be a foreign mission.

So, Where Do You Start?

With a million questions, right?

Establishing a business overseas can be fraught with seemingly endless barriers: burdensome tax implications, the difficulties of engaging a local workforce, complex customs and immigration regulations, and all manner of spectacularly joyless bureaucracy.

If you are a foreign business looking to deploy in Australia or an Australian business looking to trade offshore, you might – or should – have wondered:

• what do I need to do first to expand overseas?
• how do I find or deploy staff, so I can hit the ground running?
• how am I supposed to promote my offshore business?
• do I need to apply for a business visa?
• what are the tax implications if I expand my business internationally?
• are there any regulations I need to be aware of in relation to my products?

For every such question there is an answer – you just need to know who to ask.

So before you get on that plane to open the doors of the Maldives branch of your business, take a moment to consider the one of the most valuable resources available to you right here in Australia: foreign missions.

So, What Exactly is a “Foreign Mission”?

Think of foreign embassies, consulates and trade commissions – while every country has a different approach, foreign missions are essentially organisations operating in Australia that promote trade and commerce between Australia and their home countries.

The Australian equivalent is Austrade, which operates missions out of Australian embassies, consulates and high commission around the world.  

Foreign missions are typically known for:

• providing information about medical, education, and legal services in a foreign country
• helping with notary and document legalisation functions
• issuing or advising on passports and visas
• fighting international crime
• exchanging cultural information
• engaging in diplomacy

Foreign missions aren’t just there to help people who are stranded in strange lands or who have accidentally left their passports in the back of a taxi. Foreign missions offer practical advice in respect of all types of international commerce. For example, they can help your business with:

• events for networking
• setting up trade fairs for specific industries
• consulting services
• recruiting local experts and engaging local partners
• guiding you on legal and regulatory procedures
• assistance with immigration requirements or referring you to qualified immigration lawyers, migration agents or immigration agents
• referrals to other partners to help to establish your business in the best way from the outset

Pretty useful, right?  Emissaries dedicated to helping you do business with their compatriots, ready and able to do everything they can to get you and your business moving.

The Quest for Australia’s Most Business-Friendly Foreign Missions

We set out to interview every foreign mission in Australia – about 200 embassies, consulates and trade commissions. Turns out, some were what we might call “business-friendly”, and others…well…less so.

Our Criteria

So which are the most business-friendly foreign missions in Australia? And by what criteria did we determine if a foreign mission was “business-friendly” or not?

The foreign missions that made our list are staffed by people who are passionate about their country’s role and reputation in international trade. Others, as is true of public service around the world, seemed like they were more or less just doing a job.

First, we looked at whether the mission responded to attempts to communicate with them. Most did, but a significant minority did not. This narrowed down the pool.

For those who did respond, we considered whether they have active strategies to help their nationals set up business in Australia and, conversely, whether they offer any assistance to Australians who are looking to invest or deploy in their countries.

We also looked at how hard it is to set up a business in their country, including the difficulty of getting the right kind of visa, usually a short stay type business visa, allowing for things like meetings and contract negotiations.

Fifty Shades of Business-Friendly

It should be noted that the foreign missions who made our list, are all business-friendly in their own unique ways. All have different structures and serve different functions, as unique and variable as the countries they represent.

Some are commercial diplomatic networks which function independently of the political arm. Others are inherently linked with their Ambassador. Most are publicly funded, but a few, for example Austria’s Trade Commission, are commercially funded.

Some foreign missions represent their entire country, while others represent specific regions of their country, as is the case with Belgium’s Trade and Investment Commissions.

Some foreign missions focus their efforts on helping individuals and companies, whereas others concentrate on facilitating dialogue between countries to secure advantages for their nationals. The Polish Embassy, for instance, is working to improve Australian regulations on windows to increase their quality and thereby allow Polish producers to compete in our market.  

The Austrian Trade Commission gave the example of an Australian IT security company based in Canberra who felt they were outgrowing the Australian market but were not sure where to expand. They approached the Austrian Trade Commission, which provided market and regulatory information and guided the company through all the steps required to access the Austrian market and establish an office in Vienna. With their assistance, the Australian company quickly identified the necessary local expertise and have made a successful entry into the European market.

Some Common Themes

Beyond our basic criteria, we found that while there is no one way to exhaustively define what makes a mission “business-friendly”, there are a few things the “business-friendly” ones have in common:

1. They are devoted to their stakeholders and willing to engage with them on a personal level.
2. They are comprehensive in their services, going above and beyond to simplify the establishment of an offshore business or the process of trading overseas.
3. Finally, and most importantly, they are accessible. After all, what good is a great network if it can’t be accessed?

Foreign Missions & Immigration

The consulates, embassies and trade commissions we interviewed all had varying degrees of involvement with immigration. Most were able to help Australians obtain business visas to their countries, or at the very least point applicants to an online process.

Australians are particularly well-positioned for business travel, with most countries (including all of Europe) allowing Australian citizens to stay for up to three months without a visa, and with permission to conduct the initial tasks required to start a business (such as networking or looking for partners).

Some foreign missions can also offer detailed guidance to their own citizens in relation to Australia’s complicated immigration system.

All of the business-friendly organisations, while having their own ways of dealing with visa queries, recognised this as an important part of assisting with business queries. 

Open for Business vs Out of Business

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott was fond of stating, “Australia is open for business”. Whatever you think of Tony, he made an important point: irrespective of how receptive a country thinks it is to international business, if it is not perceived as friendly, it might as well be closed.

Establishing a business overseas or securing foreign investment, no matter how large, can be a high stakes game.  There are potentially significant benefits for workers, corporations and entire nations. There are also, however, significant risks.

A foreign mission is often a business’s first point of call – and that experience can make or break a decision whether or not to invest.

So, if you’re thinking about expanding overseas, contact a foreign mission. They’re there to help.

Below we have set out the foreign missions we have found to be the most business-friendly foreign missions in Australia.

The 15 Most Business-Friendly Foreign Missions in Australia

Advantage Austria

Advantage Austria is Austria’s diplomatic network devoted to promoting international business relations and trade for Austria. It is funded by the companies which benefit from the services it provides, yet is anchored in the Austrian constitution and acts under the supervision of the Minister of Economic Affairs.

According to Austrian law and under the supervision of the Ministry of Economic Affirs, Advantage Austria is organized and managed by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and funded by mandatory membership fees of roughly 450.000 Austrian companies. So the system is organized and funded by the business community itself.

As noted by Karl Hartleb, Consul General NSW & Trade Commissioner for Australia and New Zealand: ‘The Austrian companies have actually paid for our services, meaning that there is a lot of clarity surrounding the services we do or should provide. We meet with the companies one on one to ensure there are less hurdles for them to set up business in Australia.’

Belgium – Flanders Investment and Trade Commission

Belgium does things a little differently, in that it has set up three separate trade and investment commissions to represent the three regions of Belgium, being Brussels, Flanders and Berunia.

Luca Botello, Trade Commissioner for Australia and New Zealand, emphasises that FIT takes into account the relevant political situation that may affect trade and investment. He notes that ‘We understand the importance of the European Union and Australia negotiating a free trade agreement and the fact that this can raise clear question marks. It is our role to ease the restrictions currently in place until the agreement has been completed.’

He further remarks: ‘another challenge will be for Australian companies to adjust to a Europe post-Brexit. There are hundreds of Australian companies operating in the United Kingdom; some of them are Brexit-ready but many are not. The biggest risks will be moving capital and maintaining confidentiality. This has caused an increase of interest of Australian companies to begin operating in continental Europe and Belgium.’

Embassy of Finland

The Embassy of Finland stands out in its ability to provide an effective list of contacts and networks to Finnish businesses which wish to begin trading in Australia. Not only is it effective, but it is also highly committed to assisting with enquiries and being available for out of hours queries from businesses all over the world.

Embassy of Japan

Embassy of Mexico

The Embassy of Mexico considers the promotion of trade and investment to be paramount to its role, having opened an Australian office of its trade promotion authority (PROMEXICO). PROMEXICO works constantly by organising public and private events (seminars, visits, conferences, events), as well as identifying trade and investment opportunities and facilitating contacts between key players.

Santiago Ballina Garcia, Political Attaché to the Embassy of Mexico in Australia, is passionate about promoting Mexico as a location of business and trade for Australians: ‘The work carried out by the Embassy and by PROMEXICO’s office in Australia reflects the character of Mexico as a nation open to the world. Mexico has one of the largest Free Trade Agreement networks in the world, with 12 agreements that cover 46 countries. The latest one of these is the CPTPP, which Mexico was the very first country to ratify earlier this year.’

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco

Idriss Barhon, Economic Counsellor with the Embassy, considers that the economic potential of Morocco-Australia relations remains ‘unexploited’. For instance, trade between Morocco and Australia has undergone significant changes in recent years. In 2014, exchanges had reached 100 million AUD, before falling to 72 million AUD in 2015 and settling at around 105.866 million AUD in 2016/2017, with a surplus balance of 22.834 million AUD in favour of Morocco.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Canberra aims to move beyond cooperation in trade to pave the way for new investments.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Consulate General of Pakistan

The Consulate General of Pakistan is responsible for promoting trade and investment between countries. It has separate arms located in major cities around Australia, with each arm responsible for its respective region. It prides itself on providing personalised and specialised service.

Trade Commissioner Abdul Majid Yousfani notes: ‘Our organisation is particularly business-friendly because we have a complete focus on commercial activity, separate to our embassy in Canberra which focuses more on political diplomacy. If someone has an issue or query, we are just one email away and can provide assistance to any question. We pride ourselves on being especially responsive.’

Embassy of the Philippines

The Philippines employs the use of four organisations to engage Australian companies that are interested in doing business with the Philippines. The Philippine Overseas Labour Office is located in Canberra and provides information on employment regulations in the Philippines, where the Philippines Trade and Investment Centre is based in Sydney and nurtures relations with foreign investors and businesses.

The Philippines has become an increasingly well-positioned location for Australian companies to do business and the Philippine Trade and Investment Centre desires to continue this trend.

Minda Calaguian-Cruz, former Ambassador from the Embassy of the Philippines, states: ‘The Philippines wishes to do more trade with Australia given the growing demand in the Philippines for major Australian exports. On the other hand, Philippines’s export of services to Australia has been growing at a rate of 9.7% every year for the last five years.’

Embassy of Poland

The Embassy of Poland is a small but mighty organisation of 4 people, including the Ambassador, Political Attaché and Economic Attaché, Rafal Jarosz. The Polish Embassy recently separated its trade function and now choose to mainly hire Polish people who happen to live overseas. Its trade commission is in fact a corporation with 100% public ownership. This new system reflects the fact that Poland was part of the Soviet Union until 1989 and only recently has started to emphasise growth of the private sector.

Embassy of Portugal

Embassy of the Republic of Serbia

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia works to facilitate access to relevant and timely information as key to strengthening trade, investment, tourism, education and other socio-economic links between Australia and Serbia.

The Embassy is clearly facilitating the increase of bilateral trade and business, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing that since 2014 the export-import trade between the two countries has been tripled. This increase in trade is no accident, with the Deputy Head of Mission, Mimica Radojevic, stating that ‘there are always opportunities for more export-import cooperation, especially in trade in services, taking into consideration that the Australian IT sector has shown a significant interest in establishing back offices and outsourcing business practice with Serbian partners’ (more than 20 companies).’

In terms of trade in services, export of services from Serbia to Australia in 2017 was 64 million AUD and import of services from Australia to Serbia was 20 million AUD.

This increase in trade is no accident, with the Deputy Head of Mission, Mimica Radojevic, stating that ‘the importance of a large Serbian community in Australia’ cannot be ignored.

There is a very active Australian-Serbian Organisation of Professionals which aims to serve both Serbian and Australian communities by connecting Serbian professionals in the business sphere in Australia. The organisation held a presentation on the topic “Offshoring to Serbia – an Australian Story” in Melbourne. At this event, owners of the Global IT Factory presented Serbia as an outsourcing destination and talked on their business orientation to outsourcing IT services to Serbia and on positive experiences from this cooperation.

The Embassy was engaged in the activities of establishing the Australian-Serbian Commerce Chamber in 2016 with an aim to realise the full potential of the trade ties between the two countries.

Economic and Trade Commission of Spain in Australia

The Spanish trade commission’s assistance largely lies in its tailored consulting services for Spanish companies entering the Australian market and vice versa. Nieves Prior, Commercial Attaché of the Economic and Trade Commission of Spain in Australia, states: ‘we support newcomers with consulting services, finding local partners and organising Business to Business meetings. Specific individual reports can be made if requested. We go above and beyond in providing personalised assistance.’

Consulate General of Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan consulate in Australia is the third diplomatic mission established by Sri Lanka but it has ambitious plans to become the next financial city in the vein of Hong Kong. In particular, the Sri Lankan consulate is focusing on driving import/export business, the transfer of industry expertise, and the increase of tourism between the two countries.

Inbound Tourism from Australia to Sri Lanka is the fastest growing as far as percentages go. There was a 37% increase in Australian tourism to Sri Lanka in 2018. It’s the sixth largest inbound tourist destination up from 13th in 2014.

These plans are in line with its goals for high projected growth within the next few years, with Consul General Lal Wickrematunge noting that while the Sri Lankan Gross Domestic Product is currently at 10% of Australia’s, there is now potential for a middle-class growth period. 

Consulate General of Switzerland