Morning Tea for the winners of the 2016 Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Kaye and I are delighted to welcome you all to Government House.

I begin by extending a special welcome to, and congratulating, each of the winners of the Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards.

These prestigious awards are highly contested, and you should feel very proud of your achievement.

An Export Award is a boon for your business, and also serves as a marker of quality for existing and prospective clients.

It takes courage to look over our national borders, to spy an opportunity and to seek to meet it.

Your success in doing so has secured the future of your businesses and the livelihood of your employees. 

It also makes a significant contribution to the prosperity of our State.

Trade makes us wealthier, but it also makes our State a more interesting and appealing place in which to live.

Very often, as I seek to do my part to support our trade relationships, by meeting with government, business and community leaders, both here and overseas, I find their good impression of Queensland is formed by their great experiences with our exporters – with you.

Trade builds trust, and in doing so buttresses the relationships between Queensland and our major partners.

You may not have realized it, but Government House is a very fitting place to honour our exporters and the relationships they build.

It was built by a German businessman, Johann Heussler, who served as both Germany’s Consul to Queensland and Queensland’s Consul to Germany.

I am not as diplomatically ambidextrous as Mr Heussler – I work only on behalf of Queensland, and in the twelve months since we hosted these awards last year, Kaye and I have visited Papua New Guinea, France and Japan to promote and foster Queensland’s trade, business and cultural interests, and for significant World War One centenary commemorations.

To use Japan as but one example. The commencement of the Japan Australia Economic Partnership Agreement last year has given new vitality to this longstanding relationship, an impression confirmed by my experiences in Tokyo, Saitama and Kawasaki.

Trade and Investment Queensland gives outstanding support to our exporters, and they also give outstanding support to me when I travel to support our State’s trade interests.

I extend particular thanks to Queensland’s Trade and Investment Commissioners, and central office staff, here today who have supported Kaye and me during our visits – your professionalism is highly valued by this Office.

To our exporters and businesses here today, Queensland’s Trade Commissioners are wonderful people, and they are great contacts for you – they are there to open doors to emerging and important established markets. Use their expertise.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Kaye and I sincerely hope you enjoy our hospitality this morning – please see it as a token of the wider community’s gratitude for your contributions to our State. We wish you and your businesses every success in the future. Thank you.