Tennessee Visits Down
Under on Trade Mission!
July 2, 2006
 In October 2005, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen announced a major trade mission to Australia In 2006 to continue developing the opportunities that exist between Tennessee and Australia and on 19th June 2006, Commissioner Matthew Kisber and a delegation of 25 business people from a broad range of industries across Tennessee, visited Sydney and Melbourne in June to officially launch their first Australian Trade Mission, as a follow up to the promising Free-Trade Agreement between the 2 countries.
The Commissioner and the rest of the delegation conducted extensive meetings with numerous businesses across the 2 cities, including a leading brewery, wine producer, agricultural enterprise, multimedia and sporting bodies.
At the conclusion of the Trade Mission in the closing reception, The Commissioner gave a warm assessment of relations, highlighting that Tennessee regards Australia as a good partner and friend and the importance to relations with Australia so as to press ahead with the comprehensive bilateral relationship.
This trip enhanced cultural relationships also with the delegation being exposed to key components of Australian culture, including a
Yarra Valley Wine Tour hosted by Hardies Wines and an Australian Football Game hosted by The North Melbourne Kangaroos.
Overall the week long mission was very successful in sharing in the expertise of Tennessee and Australia, to further increase trade between the US and Australia.
Trade between the two nations has skyrocketed in recent years, mainly on the back of Australian-US Free Trade Agreement. With particular respect to the Tennessee - Australia relationship, Tennessee will export over $400,000,000.00 (Four hundred million dollars) of trade to Australia this year alone and this number is expected to increase. Australia has also has become a part of the Tennessee landscape with 14 Australian
owned companies employing 2500 people across the state in the areas of manufacturing, mining and the services sector.
To see pictures from the cultural events in
Australia - Click
Here...
* Special Thanks to Bill Hardy of Hardy
Wines, David Mathews of the
Australian Football League, and Geoff Walsh of the North Melbourne Kangaroos
for hosting
the Tennessee delegation. Also a big thanks to Commission Kisber and his
team for allowing the Australian Festival to participate in the mission.
* Dean Shortland, the Australian Festival's
new Managing Director, participated in the cultural activities with the
Trade Mission while in Australia. While in Melbourne Dean introduced the
Australian Festival to some key Australian organizations including the
Australian Open, the Melbourne Cricket Club, Foster Larger, Telstra road
to Tamworth & the Australian Record Industry Association.
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