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Job vacancy: GABC Events Management

The German Australian Business Council is looking for a new event management employee to support our mission to be a catalyst for the generation of business opportunities and relationships between our two nations. The position is available immediately.

The primary duties (undertaken independently and/or together with the responsible Board member) will be to ensure the smooth preparation, running and follow-up of events. Details on the individual tasks can be found in the attached job description.

You will bring the following SKILLS/EXPERIENCE:

  • Experience in organising events.
  • Know-how in negotiating with event locations (hotels, restaurants, catering)
  • Know-how in modern communication tools / MS Office
  • Excellent communication skills in both English and German

The employee should be located in Frankfurt or surrounds but will also supply remote support to our Munich and Berlin groups.

Working hours are flexible. The contract/salary is based on a ‘450 € -Mini Job’.

A strong interest in German-Australian relations is an advantage.

If you are interested or know somebody who may be interested in supporting the work of the German Australian Business Council, please contact our Board members Malte Schudlich (malte.schudlich@gabc.eu) (Frankfurt), Peirui Tan (peirui.tan@gabc.eu) (Frankfurt) or Eberhard Goihl eberhard.goihl@gabc.eu (Munich).

More information can be found in the document below:

GABC Event Management Job Description

 

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Summer Networking featuring Barramundi on the Barbie- Frankfurt, August 2019

On 1 August 2019, the German Australian Business Council hosted a summer networking event at the Adina Neue Oper Frankfurt showcasing our Mittelstand member, Barramundi Aquakultur. Operations Manager, Fritz Beindorff shared his thoughts about the sustainable Barramundi farming business in Hainburg (20 minutes outside of Frankfurt) and emphasized the benefits of Barramundi grown without antibiotics or hormones. Following a lively Q&A, guests were treated to an expansive buffet spread showcasing “Barramundi on the Barbie” specially prepared by the Adina Frankfurt Neue Oper catering and culinary team. We were delighted to connect with many new members and friends over a spectacular sunset view of the Frankfurt skyline.

Photos by Cherokee Bech

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Ambassador’s Dinner- Frankfurt, June 2019

The German Australian Business Council’s Annual Ambassador’s Dinner 2019 was an exclusive and highly successful event as we welcomed over 100 international guests, including representatives joining us from the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK) Australia Delegation, at the Sofitel Frankfurt on 25 June 2019.

The pre-dinner networking reception set the stage for the evening with new and renewed connections and lively conversations over drinks and canapes. Dinner started officially with a welcome by Chair, Dr Sabine Pittrof and Co-Patron Australian Ambassador to Germany, H.E. Lynette Wood introducing our special speaker: Senator The Hon. Mathias Cormann, Minister for Finance, Special Minister of State, Leader of the Government in the Senate. Singing a line from Belgium’s wining Eurovision song “J’aime la Vie”, Belgium-born Senator Cormann showed his gracious humour as he responded to a quip by Dr Pittrof about Australia’s successful participation in the Eurovision as testament to the strong Australia-EU ties. This set the tone for his keynote as he outlined the Australian’s government economic priorities and the tremendous opportunities for strengthening bilateral relations.

The evening concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr Jeff Connolly, Executive Chairman and CEO of Siemens Australia and Pacific and Head of the AHK Australia Delegation.

The German Australian Business Council would like to warmly thank our sponsors FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH and ANZ; and partners, AHK Australia and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission for their kind support.

 

Photos courtesy of Todd Gardner, Frankfurt.

 

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ABIE Submission on the proposed AUS-EU Free Trade Agreement

The ABIE submission on the proposed AUS-EU Free Trade Agreement has now been uploaded to the DFAT website.

A direct link to the submission can be found here: https://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/negotiations/aeufta/submissions/Documents/australian-business-in-europe-eufta-submission.pdf

A link to the listing of the submissions can be found here: https://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/negotiations/aeufta/submissions/Pages/aeufta-submissions.aspx

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ABIE FTA Briefing- Brussels, 4th of July 2019

The German Australian Business Council joined our sister organizations as part of the Australian Business in Europe network (www.abie.eu) to host Australia’s Chief Negotiator for the EU Free Trade Agreement, Alison Burrows, as she delivered a Special Briefing on the status of the negotiations along with a distinguished panel including Ambassador to the EU, Justin Brown, Austrade’s European General Manager, Dan Tebbutt and European Australian Business Council CEO, Jason Collins.   The event was attended by ABIE members from all over Europe including the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Spain and the Czech Republic, together with representatives of several Australian-based business associations and industry groups and Australian Federal and State governmental agencies. The ABIE network is a collective of organisations across Europe and Australia collaborating to develop and promote business relations between the two regions.

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GABC and Austrade Europe Landing Pad networking evening at betahaus- Berlin, March 2019

On 26th March, 2019 the German Australian Business Council joined the Australian Landing Pad in Europe (run by the Australian Trade & Investment Commission) in hosting a networking evening at betahaus café in Kreuzberg. This event was an opportunity for members and friends to engage both with the Landing Pad community and to meet with the bootcamp delegation visiting Berlin in preparation of Hannover Messe.

Approximately 30 guests were introduced to the 8 strong delegation and the Europe Landing Pad program by its manager, David Urry, and the Australian Trade Commissioner for Germany, Steve Rank. Local beers and Currywurst helped fuel the engaged conversation throughout the three hour event.

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Networking BBQ- Berlin, June 2019

On 5 June GABC Berlin hosted an after-work networking BBQ at the former Australian Embassy to the German Democratic Republic in Berlin Pankow which is now the base for a local artist collective (https://ex-embassy.com/en/). The small informal event was attended by a dozen members and friends who enjoyed the vast garden, cool drinks and communal cooking experience alongside interesting conversations with other guests and the resident artists. The evening’s highlight was the guided tour of the historic landmark building and some of the exhibitions on display by the artists. We look forward to hosting further relaxed after-work events for the Berlin community in the near future. The next Berlin event will be the annual Sommerfest der Wirtschaftsverbände at Chalet Suisse on the 30th of August, 2019.

Photo: Maurizio Camagna

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China and Asia-Pacific Investment Seminar, Frankfurt

Corporate members Bird & Bird LLP and Austrade invite German Australian Business Council Members and Friends to a seminar on key topics affecting current trade and investment between Europe and the Asia Pacific region including the post-election changes to the energy landscape in Australia.

The event will take place on the 26th of June, 2019. More information and registration details can be found at the link below:

https://sites-twobirds.vuture.net/60/5795/june-2019/invitation-supply-chain-and-energy-26-06-19-blank.asp

EU Australia Flag

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EU – Australia Free Trade Agreement

The European Union and Australia are currently negotiating a free trade agreement to promote and increase trade between the two countries. We have already submitted some comments, but there is still a chance to contribute to the discussion and we’d be delighted for your input. The submission will be a collective effort developed by the network of Australian Business in Europe (ABIE) organisations, of which the German Australian Business Council is a member and will be submitted prior to the fourth round of negotiations to be held in Brussels in early July 2019.

 

Share your stories: successes and failures

We would be pleased to hear stories from both Australian and European businesses. The FTA negotiators want to understand the opportunities and challenges faced by businesses, big and small, when seeking to leverage free trade agreements to export their goods and services.

Have you successfully taken advantage of free trade agreements to export into new markets and reaped the rewards? This may have been in established markets such as the US or in developing markets such as northern Asia.

Or, did you try but it was a frustrating and unsuccessful experience? Are you wary of the risks or costs involved in exporting?

For either outcome, your stories and experiences are valuable to the negotiation process. DFAT is particularly interested in details of specific obstacles to trade and investment that the Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement could address.

Topics of interest in the Free Trade Agreement negotiations

Key topics discussed during the negotiations to date have included:

  • Trade in Goods
  • Rules of Origin
  • Customs and Trade Facilitation
  • Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters
  • Trade Remedies
  • State-owned enterprises
  • Competition and Subsidies
  • Government Procurement
  • Technical Barriers to Trade
  • Services and Investment
  • E-Commerce/Digital Trade
  • Intellectual Property
  • SPS and Animal Welfare
  • Trade and Sustainable Development
  • Energy and Raw Materials
  • Dispute Settlement
  • Transparency and Good Regulatory Practices
  • Small and Medium Enterprises

How to participate in the ABIE submission

To participate or if you have any questions, please contact GABC Office Administrator, Elizabeth Matters, at office@gabc.eu. She will collate the feedback from German Australian Business Council members which will be complied and included within the collective ABIE submission.

If you prefer, your information and stories can be included anonymously.

Make an independent submission

We also encourage both Australian and European companies to make an independent submission to DFAT. For submission information and examples: https://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/negotiations/aeufta/submissions/Pages/submissions.aspx

For background on the Australia-EU FTA negotiations:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-balanced-and-progressive-trade-policy-to-harness-globalisation/file-eu-australia-fta

https://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/negotiations/aeufta/Pages/default.aspx

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/australia/

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2018/december/tradoc_157565.pdf

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=1865

Australian Parliament Building

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New Australian Government Announced by Prime Minister

After the Australian elections, the new (old) Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has announced the new cabinet lineup for the Australian Government, as reported by the ABC here.

The government includes a number of women ministers – seven, which is an all-time high for Australia – and the country’s first indigenous cabinet minister, Ken Wyatt, who will serve as the Minister for Indigenous Affairs. Josh Frydenberg will be the Treasurer, whilst fluent German speaker Mathias Corman will remain in government as minister for Finance. The exiting minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, retains her responsibilities.

The full list of ministers in the Australian Government is

Prime Minister
Minister for the Public Service
The Hon Scott Morrison MP

Minister for Indigenous Australians
The Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP

Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Regional Development
The Hon Michael McCormack MP

Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management
The Hon David Littleproud MP

Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure
The Hon Alan Tudge MP

Treasurer
The Hon Josh Frydenberg MP

Minister for Finance
(Vice-President of the Executive Council)
(Leader of the Government in the Senate)
Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann

Minister for Agriculture
Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie

Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Women
Senator the Hon Marise Payne

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment
(Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate)
Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham

Attorney-General
Minister for Industrial Relations
(Leader of the House)
The Hon Christian Porter MP

Minister for Health
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Cabinet
The Hon Greg Hunt MP

Minister for Home Affairs
The Hon Peter Dutton MP

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts
The Hon Paul Fletcher MP

Minister for Education
The Hon Daniel Tehan MP

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business
Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology
The Hon Karen Andrews MP

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
Senator the Hon Matthew Canavan

Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction
The Hon Angus Taylor MP

Minister for the Environment
The Hon Sussan Ley MP

Minister for Defence
Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC

Minister for Families and Social Services
(Manager of Government Business in the Senate)
Senator the Hon Anne Ruston

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Minister for Government Services
The Hon Stuart Robert MP