Australia's distance from the rest of the world and its small size present us with special challenges over the coming years, says a major new report from CEDA.
But the CEDA report also highlights strengths in Australia's services, resource and manufacturing sectors that can underpin continued economic prosperity.
The report, Competing From Australia, will be released on Monday at a major CEDA conference in Melbourne.
It contains seven papers by leading economists and policy analysts plus two introductory essays, one by renowned Tyranny of Distance author Professor Geoffrey Blainey.
Several of the papers in the collection note that Australia is relatively weakly integrated with the global economy, and faces problems in engaging more deeply with it.
For instance, Australia ranks 20th out of 22 nations for "trade intensity" - that is, international trade as a percentage of overall national economic activity (Withers). And it ranks 27th out of 29 nations for intra-industry trade as a share of total manufacturing trade - an indication of our low involvement with "global supply chains" (Houghton). These global supply chains are complex cross-border alliances between firms and parts of firms.
The report suggests that the "tyranny of distance" which Professor Blainey first described in 1966 remains alive and well despite modern transport and telecommunications. Indeed, new economic thinking suggests that distance is an impediment to economic development, and to the development of knowledge-based economies in particular.
A key paper by ANU's Professor Glenn Withers spells out that distance still matters to Australia. It matters not only because goods are shipped around the world, but because services are most easily delivered and business deals most easily agreed when people are close to each other. And trade, service delivery and collaboration are all becoming more important, not less important, to economic activity.
Other papers, by Victoria University's Professor John Houghton and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Andrew McCredie, explore the rise of global supply chains. Australia risks being marginalised in these global supply chains, the report suggests.
Says CEDA chief executive officer David Byers: "Distance is not dead as a challenge for Australia. Yes, technology is shrinking the distances between people. But the economic evidence is that distance continues to make it difficult to trade and collaborate."
At the same time, Competing From Australia points out several ways in which the Australian economy is succeeding. Many of our major services industries, in particular, are expanding overseas, often through investing in foreign companies. Many of our manufacturers continue to make progress in overseas markets.
Australia has also shown a capacity for what is called "systems integration" (putting together existing technologies in new ways) and for innovation in resource industries.
"Many of our best business are engaging with the world," says CEDA's David Byers. "By building on our strengths - particularly in services and resources - we can continue to prosper."
To engage more closely with the evolving world economy, the report suggests, Australia will need to:
For further information please contact:
John Harris
Corporate Relations Director
Phone 03 9652 8415
Email info@ceda.com.au
Printed from the CEDA Web site at http://ceda.com.au. Copyright 1999-2009 CEDA