Author: Tim Harcourt on
8 March 2010
For me, it all started with yabbies. When I first joined the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) I met a remarkable woman called Mary Nenke, from the wheat belt town of Western Australia.
Author: Tim Harcourt on
22 February 2010
In early 2010, markets have been spooked by the Greek debt crisis. This is affecting central bankers and policy makers, who have just got over the stress of the global financial crisis and the impact on the world's global financial institutions.
Author: Tim Harcourt on
4 January 2010
This article first appeared May 19, 2009.
Why does South Australia need to export? For the same reasons as it is important for Australia to export. There are both macroeconomic reasons and microeconomic reasons.
Author: Tim Harcourt on
14 December 2009
Is it now officially the 'age' of Brazil, with the charismatic and populous South American nation picking up the rights to host both the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and of course the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016? Is Brazil, after many false starts, looking like it will fulfill its promise of being one of the world's great economic powerhouses?
Author: Tim Harcourt on
30 November 2009
This year - the year of the global financial crisis (GFC) - was meant to be the year of trade Armageddon. This was the year that the bottom would drop out of the export market and everyone would stay at home and never venture beyond our shores.
Author: Tim Harcourt on
23 November 2009
The airport economist first visited China as a trade union official some years ago. The Australia trade union delegation, of which I was a member, was taken to a factory. While on the tour, I asked our hosts: "Do you have workers' compensation in China?" After much deliberation, the translator replied: "No. If the workers break anything, they don't have to compensate us... straight away."
Author: Tim Harcourt on
16 November 2009
It's official: we are ‘hugging the panda' again. China is again our number one trading partner in the new rankings released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Author: Tim Harcourt on
3 November 2009
When you are punting on this year's Melbourne Cup, have a bit of sympathy for Australia's 44,000 exporters who have had to make their big bets on international markets. Like a good punter, Australian exporters have to look at the horse, the jockey, the state of the track and of course, the odds. And it is not just a flutter for them but a major business decision that will affect their livelihood as well as the wellbeing of those who are dependent on their business.
Author: Tim Harcourt on
2 November 2009
Seoul has played an important role in Australia's economic and diplomatic history. In fact it was in Seoul 20 years ago, in 1989, that the then Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke launched the APEC concept following key spadework by Australia and the Republic of Korea to build the foundations of an Asia Pacific community.
Author: Tim Harcourt on
19 October 2009
The Australian dollar is now in the 90 cent territory and there are fears this could affect out strong showing in ‘the great recovery'. There is even some market speculation that the Aussie battler will reach parity with the greenback.
