German-Australian

Upcoming Events
Events range from workshops & seminars to
CEO roundtable Briefingdiscussions, receptions to largescale
Evening conferences. with Mark Some Mentha, events KordaMentha
are open to
An
Place: the public, Melbourne while others are only accessible
for members. Our speakers include top-level
industry experts, leading government representatives
and inspiring thought leaders.
October 2015
12/10
Boardroom Roundtable
Place: Melbourne
26/10
Golf Day 2015
Place: Melbourne
Dear Members
‘Disruption’ is the buzz-word for 2015 and
even Prime Minister Turnbull has put it at the
heart of future challenges and opportunities
for Australia. Speaking of the Prime Minister,
we wish to congratulate Malcolm and Lucy
Turnbull on their new responsibilities and we
are obviously excited that Lucy will remain as
the Honorary President of our organisation!
2015 has been as exciting as it has been
tumultuous for Australia, and it is only October...
Depending on your choice of newspapers
and economic commentators, the
economy’s housing market is either on the
brink of collapse or undergoing a temporary
adjustment. In recent weeks the bears have
certainly outweighed the bulls on the back
of continuing tremors in China and dismal
global growth reports.
Some are asking if Australia’s luck has finally
run out. There certainly is no denying that
Australia is undergoing difficult structural
adjustments and that the boom times will not
return any time soon.
Apart from stubbornly low commodity rates,
the closure of the last automotive OEM plants
in Victoria is looming large and Australia is
at risk of losing a significant amount of its
industrial knowledge base. There are no
easy answers to this dilemma and it is difficult
to make up for lost ground. However,
the Chamber has been very vocal in its belief
that Australia needs a secure industrial
base, no matter how much growth we can
generate through the knowledge economy,
tourism and education, especially as the lines
between traditional manufacturing and IT are
becoming increasingly blurred. Industry 4.0
and the Internet of Things (IoT) require us to
completely rethink the factors that enable a
country to host a successful manufacturing
industry. Australia, however, needs to invest
now in its capacity and capability to forge
its niche in an Industry 4.0 world, including
a rigorous approach to vocational training as
future manufacturing jobs will require vastly
different skill-sets from shop-floor workers.
Lastly, we often hear that industry in Australia
is beset by external factors that make
it difficult for companies to thrive. However,
recent studies by Business Council of Australia
(2014) show that companies are suffering
from policy settings that could be changed if
we were to embrace the need for structural
reform. As emerging economies continue to
outpace the world’s advanced economies,
Australia must adopt a “sector approach” in
policy reform, as no industry sector operates
in total isolation of broader public policy. For
a more specific example of necessary internal
change, the Productivity Commission recently
concluded that accelerating the average
approval processes for oil and gas projects
would increase their value by 10 to 20 per
cent, with billions of dollars of gains in income
for Australians.
I am a glass-half-full type of person and
while the aforementioned challenges are real
and need to be addressed, I continue to be
amazed by the amount of collaboration and
earnest innovation that comes out of Australian
and German companies. Our recent conference
showcased a number of these hidden
and not-so-hidden champions. They are a
testament to the opportunity that can come
from innovation, hard work and the willingness
to tackle global challenges.
Kind Regards,
Kristian Wolf
Executive Director
German-Australian Chamber
of Industry and Commerce
November 2015
04/11
12/11
18/11
26/11
December 2015
03/12
Young Executive Forum
Place: Sydney
Cruise with the Europeans
Place: Sydney
CEO Briefing
An Evening with Mark Mentha,
KordaMentha
Place: Melbourne
End of Year Drinks
Place: Melbourne
Sailing Regatta 2015
Place: Sydney
If you are interested in one or more events
please contact:
Lars Mehlan
Director - Events & Marketing
T: (02) 8296 0444
E: lars.mehlan@germany.org.au
www.germany.org.au
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