Mitchell and Co – November 2025 Newsletter

by Uncategorized

November 2025 Newsletter

This is our November update on EMDG.

In case you need reminding EMDG stands for Export Market Development Grants.

This newsletter is sent to all of you on our database.

Most of you are not active in the scheme currently, which is a rare privilege, EMDG support is now only for Round 4 applicants. We want to keep you in the loop.

EMDG 2025 Independent Review

Thank you to all clients who undertook the survey and/or made a submission to the 2025 Independent Review of EMDG.

Back in September I made a submission and met with Mr. Tim Yeend, the report writer.

It was a good meeting, Tim is a nice bloke, however I do not think much will come out of the review process.

My main focus was to explain the debacle about the “first in, first served” approach and the impending problem with the lodgment date for Round 4 milestone reports due by 15th June 2026, before the end of the financial year. Go figure that logic!!

My submission can be viewed by the following link: 

Mitco 2025 Review Submission 01082025

For the first time in over 50 years of the EMDG program and many such independent reviews (happening every 5 years or so) the terms of reference were narrowed to exclude any comment about:

• Changes to the EMDG Act
• Funding levels
• Change in types of applicants – the Tier structure.

In my opinion, it’s an independent review with no teeth for any meaningful improvement, just shifting deck chairs on the Titanic, one might say!

Tim’s report will not be completed until March 2026 and will be released by Minister Farrell sometime after that, probably June/July 2026.

EMDG Rounds 1 to 3.

Pretty much all done and dusted, with Round 3 – 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 milestone reports now completed and assessed.

We only have a small number that have had to proceed to the appeal stage & we are wrapping these up now.

EMDG Round 4

Austrade has now finished processing these applications.

We only have one client who is yet to be sent a grant agreement, but we expect this to happen soon.

Some clients were offered EMDG support for 2026/2027 only – one year instead of two, given their time of lodgment & position in the queue.

Beggers cannot be choosers, so those one-year grant offers have been taken as being better than nothing.

I am sure that Austrade will say a job well done in any future PR release and the like.

We are now moving into the Round 4 milestone reporting stage, with the following key features.

• In 25/26 the current year, you must spend more than $40,000 (except representative bodies) or no grant will be payable. If you have received an upfront payment of $20,000 already, you will have to return this amount to Austrade. If you have any concerns, please contact us to discuss.

• Marketing expenses that are covered by EMDG are much the same as before, but you can only claim economy class airfares. If you do travel business class, please keep a screen shot of an equivalent economy class flight $ value at the time of your booking.

• Milestone reports for 25/26 must be lodged no later than June 15th, 2026, which is earlier than in the past years, and doesn’t cover the full financial year.

This is of no real benefit to you it only helps Austrade work out funding needs within the year.

I am writing to Austrade to ask that a longer period be allowed – say to August 31.

I will report back when I get an answer.

We have already started looking at clients’ information that we have access to & have been in contact with some clients to start interim processing.

We will continue to do more over the coming months.

If you have questions in relation to your Round 4 milestone reporting requirements or eligible marketing costs and the like; please reach out sooner than later so we can both assist you.

EMDG Round 5

If you are not in the EMDG program as a Round 4 applicant, you cannot apply until Round 5.

Round 5 (best estimate) will open this time next year November 2026.

Round 5 will cover years 2027/2028 and 2028/2029. Well off into the future, that’s when President Trump may be trying to run again, who knows what the shape of the world will be then.

Not EMDG – but a new program ANMI

Last month Austrade launched a new export help program under the Trade Diversification Network (TDN) banner, the Accessing New Markets Initiative (ANMI).

A whole new round of acronyms to get one’s head around.

It is funded at $50 million per year for the next 2 years or so.

Call me cynical but I think the EMDG pot was raided to fund this new program. A transfer of funds from one to the other, without having to seek any new budget allocation.

Minister Farrell reducing EMDG support from $150M to $100M for 2025/2026 and beyond.

ANMI is only available for a select few.

Funds do not flow directly to exporters; it’s only for Peak Industry bodies (membership and non-profit based) with the following criteria:
• Must be Australia wide.
• Promoting a tradable product (Goods)
• The only eligible service is IT – tourism for example is excluded.
• It’s about new markets – diversification.
• It is not a grant program; it’s about obtaining a procurement service agreement with the government to be paid for agreed overseas marketing costs.
• The lodgment process being like EMDG, i.e. application, approval/offer, reporting, then payment.
• The first round has already opened and closed – a 2-week application period only.
• Approvals are yet to be sent out – that is promised to happen soon.

We did assist eligible clients to access the program – only time will tell if it creates any real export value.

All the best,
Stuart & Wayne






Mitchell and Co – August 2025 Newsletter

by Uncategorized

EMDG Independent Review 2025

Here is link to our submission as promised.

Mitco 2025 Review Submission 01082025

I really threw everything into it. EMDG is simply not as good as it was in the past. It is no longer exporter focused.

EMDG needs new investment/money to bring it back up to par, if not then you might as well forget about it.

I will be attending the in-person session in Adelaide early next month to present our case on behalf of our client base.

Submissions need to be in by August 15th. The easiest way to do so is by the completion of the online survey, but I do caution to be very careful in how you an answer the “leading “questions.

EMDG Round 3

Milestone reports need to be submitted by August 31. We only have a handful to go and we want to avoid any issues e.g. blackouts, internet offline, portal offline etc. So the earlier we lodge the better.

Austrade has not processed any payments since the start of the financial year. I think their focus has been elsewhere. We expect activity/grant payments to start again any day.

EMDG Round 4

Processing is still happening.

The flood of prepayments in June and early July has subsided.

We still have a small number of clients still in the “under investigation or grant offer pending stages” with no movement in recent weeks/months.

Austrade has stated they cannot proceed until they complete the appeal process for other applicants to free up some funding.

A cop out in my opinion.

There should not have been so many appeals in the first place.

It is simply terrible for an application lodged back in November – 10 months ago – that some clients do not know if they will be successful or not, 2 months into the 25/26 grant year.

See my review submission for some more commentary.

We are trying to push things along as best we can, but I do feel it is a bit like banging your head against a brick wall, a lot of pain for little gain.

In the coming weeks we will be in touch in regard to your grant expenditure requirements for FY25/26.

All the best,
Stuart

Mitchell & Co – July 2025 Newsletter

by Uncategorized

Special Edition – EMDG 2025 Review process.

We write to you as you are in our database as either a past or current client of ours accessing the EMDG (Export Market Development Grants) program.

Austrade sent out an email broadcast to its own client base yesterday seeking submissions to the formal five yearly review of EMDG.

You may or may not have been sent an email. Hence one from us.

Here is a link to Austrade’s website and more details of the review process:
https://www.austrade.gov.au/en/how-we-can-help-you/working-groups-and-engagement/independent-review-emdg-program-have-your-say

This review is about the future of EMDG going forward from July 1, 2027, if the scheme continues or not and in what form and fashion, what will be the rules of engagement of the program and the timing for Round 5 of the program (the terminology used when the program was changed back in 2019/2020).

It will have no impact on the current Round 4 which we have already expressed our dismay with what a cock-up it has been on a number of fronts, we have already made our views clear to the Minister and CEO of Austrade as follows: 

  • The reduction in funding per year, the lowest since the program began in 1975 – 50 years ago.
  • The non funding of 2024/2025 expenditure for most exporters, with only a small percentage (less 5%) being able to access the program for that year.
  • The “first in – first served process” which created a nightmare for many applicants back in November.
  • The general change in rules has excluded more exporters than those that are to be paid funding by a government help program working in reverse.
  • If you did not apply for Round 4,  you are excluded from accessing the program till Round 5, pending the review which will cover the 2027/2028 and 2028/2029 years, that’s a long time in the future for sure!

Most to the above problems can be fixed with more money in the program, back to $150M per year, as it was until recent budget changes.

We are a bit skeptical about the survey process, given how the questions were constructed and answers taken in the context of what Austrade wanted itself to achieve.

A 23% acceptance of a “first in first serve” approach was used to say this is what exporters wanted. What about the other 77% who did not?

An answer that any grant offer should cover 2 years (not a bad idea) was not explained as meaning you could only apply every two years.

A current change is that for Round 4 – you do not have a full 12 month coverage in the 2025/2026 year – you must have your milestone report submitted by June 15th 2026 – please.

Austrade should seek to change the Georgian calendar to 350 days not 365 we are all used to.
In my own submission we will be pushing the barrow of:

  • Increased funding to $150M – back to the level it was before.
  • Drop the first in first served approach.
  • The ability to apply every year.
  • The grant agreement period to be yearly as well.
  • Simplification or removal of the “Tier” approach.
  • To make the application process a simple one step process, not the current three step one.
  • To be able to change your selected markets to deal, changing world trading conditions like the 3 T’s – Trump’s Tariff Tantrums!
  • To allow common sense to apply – to be able to market to the world (except Russia, North Korea, not just selected countries approved by government, to allow a regional focus like Europe, Asia etc. – not to have list each and every country within a selected region.
  • To re-instate the previous ‘export performance test” to tie with the grant amount to real export performance.

Enough said by me.

I do encourage you to make a submission and to speak your mind in a full and frank fashion.

In addition, please, if you can spare the time attend the in-person sessions as well, due to happen sometime in August. I will be there.

I am yet to complete my own submission, a job to do in the coming days.

I will send you a copy of it, so you can use it as a guide if you like.

Happy to take your call to discuss.

All the best,
Stuart

Mitchell& Co – June 2025 Newsletter

by Uncategorized

June EMDG Newsletter

Every time we sit down to write a newsletter there is always something going on the world that makes EMDG pale in comparison.

This time I am not going to list them as they are all over the news anyway.

However, there are still important EMDG things to talk about.

This newsletter has been sent to all those clients who still have an application on foot under the EMDG program, either as Round 3 applicant to report on 24/25 (this year) results or a Round 4 applicant to get ready (or still to be approved) for 25/26 (next year).

End of Financial Year (EOFY) considerations.

Before 30th June, different rules apply in terms of payments to be made before or after date and terms of EMDG.

For Round 3 applicants, to include any current costs in your 2024/2025 milestone report, you must pay them before June 30th. You cannot however prepay costs that relate next financial year.

For Round 4 applicants, the reverse applies. You must delay any such payments till after July 1, again they must be for costs/activity incurred after that date as well.

Please call us if you have any expenses/payments of which you are unsure about.

Now some more detailed comments for each of Round 3 and Round 4 applications/status.

Round 3 – Milestone Reports.

Last month we completed and lodged for you all required 2023/2024 (prior financial year) Milestone Reports, by the due date of May 30th. Most such reports now having been processed or paid by Austrade.

There are only a small number remaining to be finalised.

Many clients are now no longer part of the EMDG program given the 2024 rule changes.

Some clients, a much smaller number, now have a requirement to lodge their 2024/2025 Milestone report.

We have already made a start on these. We will crank up the processing of these post July 1.

We have a joint obligation to have these reports completed & submitted by August 31, but as we may have mentioned in the past on the odd occasion, the sooner you/we lodge the report the sooner you will be paid.

Round 4 – Grant Offers and recent prepayment of 2025/2026 grant amounts up to $20,000.

Most applicants for Round 4 have been offered & accepted a grant agreement and so has Austrade. A fine processing effort by Austrade.

There is a small number of applicants, whose grant offer is currently pending or being processed.

There is a smaller number, who have not been told if they are successful or not.

Such “No News” is actually “Good News.”

It is all about your timing of lodgement of your application back on November 12th and Austrade taking steps to relocate funding between tiers (see some additional comments below) to free up funding to allow more lodged Tier 2 applications to be approved.

Originally, the real lodgement cut-off time for Tier 2 applications seemed to be about 11.20 am AEDT, albeit the portal itself was not shut down until 1.20 pm AEDT. An extra 600 plus applications in somewhat of a “twilight zone” – applications accepted with only a very slight chance of being paid after all the lodgement effort of us both.

The lodgement time clock has now advanced to 12.00pm AEDT. We are hopeful that it will continue to move forward so all our remaining clients will be paid. We need to get to about 12.30 pm AEDT for this to happen.

The extra funding has come about from Austrade shifting the planned July grant prepayments of $20,000 for 25/26 to this month.

Hence the recent flood of money, from unspent money on 23/24 milestone reports in this year to help defray the over demand of the scheme in 25/26.

If the money is not spent this year, strange but true it would just have to go back to the government’s consolidated revenue account.

Back in April I wrote to Austrade’s new CEO Dr Paul Grimes and suggested that the payments be made in June not July to prevent this from happening.

A copy of my letter and the reply I got can be viewed via the following links:

Mitchell and Co – Letter to CEO Austrade 09042015

Austrade CEO – response 23rd May 2025

I am not saying I had any influence in the decision at all, just that it was (in my mind) the right and most common-sense approach to ensure more Tier 2 applicants could be paid as is now happening, the EMDG lodgement time clock advancing as outlined above. Well done, Austrade.

Round 4 – Changes to Grant Agreements for the US market.

When I wrote to Austrade as shown, I also raised the issue of the impact of USA/Trump “beautiful” tariff taxes on imports to the US from Australia and elsewhere. Many client’s plans to go to the US (submitted last November) being impacted. I suggested that applicants be able to choose another market in lieu.

Again, Austrade has now acted, another commonsense approach and letters are now being sent out to applicants asking whether the USA is to remain a market for you.

If & when you receive the letter, please contact us and we can discuss your best course of action.

It will not mean your grant offer will increase, it will simply mean, you may be able to spend your money elsewhere.

Round 4 – 25/26 Milestone reporting requirements.

There is nothing that needs to be done now.

Once we get over the Round 3 milestone reporting processing hump in July and August, we will reach out you in September to see how you are tracking on your spending.

Key takeaway points currently are as follows: –

• You must spend over $40,000 in 25/26 (does not apply to representative bodies) to be paid a grant, if you do not spend this amount you will have to repay the upfront payment of $20,000 in full.
• Your milestone report can be lodged once you spend double your grant offer amount.
• Austrade has shortchanged the grant year for 2025/2026 (not a fan of this change at all) and now Round 4 2025/2026 milestone reports must be lodged by June 15th, 2026, prior to the end of the year, not after it.
• Overseas travel is limited to “economy ticket cost value” only.
• Claimable expenditure will be limited to those countries listed in your application.

I expect Austrade to over audit submitted milestone reports, a means to reduce the outflow of funds.

Good record keeping will be required without a doubt.

EMDG 2025 Review.

Austrade has commenced the required five yearly review of the program.

It has already sought feedback from representative bodies, and I expect more emails will be sent to all applicants in the coming weeks.

We encourage all applicants to make a submission. We’ll do one of course.

We will provide our thoughts for you to consider and use.

The focus being the “first in, first served” disaster for Tier 2 applicants. This should never happen again.

All the best for EOFY.
Stuart

Mitchell & Co – May 2025 Newsletter

by Uncategorized

EMDG May 2025 Newsletter

New Minister

The new Federal Trade Minister is the same as the old one.

Senator Don Farrell remains in his position.

Likewise for Senator Penny Wong.

I think it make good sense to do so, give the current storm with President Trump and his not-too bright and ever-changing tariff imposition across the world and for Australia in particular.

We will all see what happens in the coming months.

EMDG Round 4 – those yet to be told their grant offer status.

It only took 4 hours to elect a new government, 3 days to elect a new Pope, but for some applicants, there has been no progress with their applications since November last year.

Most applicants have been offered a grant offer, but as above some are yet to hear.

These are the applicants who are in the “buffer zone” – with a successfully submitted application that Austrade will deem unsuccessful based on the lodgement time, after about 11.30am AEDT for Tier 2 applicants on November 12th.

The size of the buffer is some 600+ applicants who will miss out due to no fault of their own.

I have already explained what a monumental cock-up the “first in first served” Tier 2 process was back on November 12th.

I have written to the Minister in the past with no real response.

I have also written to Austrade’s new CEO, Dr Paul Grimes – my letter can be viewed by the following link: Mitchell and Co – Letter to CEO Austrade 09042015

I am yet to receive a response, which in part is understandable given the recent election cycle.

I do think however Austrade will start to send out “Sorry, you have missed out” emails in the next week or so.

The dispatch will have to be approved by Minister Farrell as the New Minister.

Within our client base, we only have a small percentage who we think have missed out, but it still hurts.

EMDG Round 1, 2 and 3 Milestone Reports 2024 – due May 31st.

We have just over 2 weeks left to complete all remaining milestone reports.

We have closed our books for those we can help.

EMDG Round 3 – Milestone Reports 2025 – due August 31st.

For those who have a grant agreement covering FY24/25 – this milestone report is also fast approaching, closing date 31st August 2025.

We will be in touch with applicants in the coming weeks to get preparations underway.

EMDG Round 4 grants approved & executed.

We will provide more details in relation to the processing of Round 4 pre-payments and milestone reporting in June once we complete the prior rounds milestone reports this month.

Stuart is going on holidays!

I am nicking off for a while next week. Wayne will hold the fort.

I will be back 3rd week in June.

All the best,

Stuart & Wayne

Mitchell & Co – April 2025 Newsletter

by Uncategorized

April EMDG Newsletter

In recent months, EMDG has been just plodding along.

This month there is plethora, yes that’s a fancy word to use to say there now a lot to talk about.

EMDG and the 2025 Budget

The budget did not contain any real news for exporters.

There was no injection of funds to fix the funding crisis/shortfall for November 12 Round 4 lodgement process, with many exporters missing out for no fault of their own.

EMDG funding in the budget forward estimates flatlining at $110M for the next 4 years.

EMDG and the Federal Election

The government is now in caretaker mode until after the May 3 election date.

On a day-by-day basis, for EMDG it is business as usual, grant milestone reports are still required, Round 4 grant offers are still being issued and the like.

Bad news to unsuccessful applicants (Tier 2 – based on lodgement time only) seems to be delayed and may not happen till after the election.

This could just be another one of my EMDG conspiracy theories.

We will see what happens in the coming weeks.

The Easter break and school holidays might add to the delays as well.

EMDG and the Election Campaign

Neither party has issued a formal trade policy so far as EMDG is concerned.

Nor has there been any direct EMDG announcement.

Opposition leader Mr Peter Dutton mentioning last Thursday that the Labor government cuts to the EMDG program were not helping exporters at this time.

This is a true statement; but by omission there was no mention of the prior Coalition government’s woeful changes to the EMDG application process that Minister Farrell inherited and has really struggled to find any meaningful solution.

While not directly related to EMDG last week, the Albanese government made the following announcement.

“Australia will make $1 billion in interest-free loans available through National Reconstruction Fund to businesses in response to new trade tariffs imposed by the United States.

“Zero-interest loans would be available for firms to capitalise on new export opportunities, building on the loans, equity and guarantees already available through the $15 billion fund.”

A more immediate and productive solution would be to inject another $30M or so to fix the EMDG Round 4 funding shortfall. Better bang for the government’s buck in my view.

EMDG and Trump’s Tariffs

Back in November as part of the Round 4 lodgement process, you had to choose which markets you intend to market to in 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 with many applicants choosing the USA as either a new or existing market.

What a difference a US election and new president can make.

At the time, there was no real inkling about the current US tariff maelstrom that’s happening now.

Tariffs are just a tax impost that make your goods more expensive in the USA and harder to sell. An exporter to the USA gets no benefit.

Here is a link to current advice from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/trade-and-investment/latest-us-tariffs

As well as the AusIndustry/Austrade Global Toolkit platform,
https://export.business.gov.au/pricing-costs-and-finance/tariffs-taxes-and-duties/us-tariff-changes-support-for-australian-businesses

Exporters at this time should not be locked into the US market. It makes no sense.

It has been promoted by both the Minister and Austrade that EMDG program is currently more flexible than it has been in the past to meet changing market conditions and exporter needs.

Changes can be made at the sole direction of the Austrade CEO as opposed to changes to the legislation itself.

This needs to happen now.

The newly appointed Austrade CEO, Mr Paul Grimes, needs to get his training wheels off and get moving.

All applicants, whatever their tier status need to be able to replace the US with another market.

Another letter for me to write!

EMDG and Round 4 Survey

Currently there is an Austrade survey to Round 4 applicants.

I hope the main result of the survey will record what a cock-up the lodgement process was, however, as for all government surveys it is all what/how the questions are asked in the first place. Let us see what survey results are announced in the coming months.

Austrade has already stated in a recent Senate Estimates hearing that “we learned a lot from the Round 4 lodgement process”.

I hope they learn to treat all exporters with much more respect, fairness and due process going forward.

EMDG is a great scheme, it is the application process that is currently failing.

2025 EMDG Review

Apart from the survey mentioned above, there is a major review of EMDG about to commence.

This is the major review of the program that happens every 5 years.

In short should the EMDG program continue or not? Is it meeting government objectives to help grow the Australian SME economy by way of international competitiveness and sales expansion?

The review headed by Mr Tim Yeend former associate Secretary for Trade and Investment DFAT, will call for submissions and hold public hearings in the coming months.

Mr Yeend is due to report by the end of November. It will have no impact on Round 4 – it will be about the shape of EMDG in the future.

In my opinion, the current lodgement process (first in first service) simply casts a spell over effectiveness and overall viability of the EMDG scheme and poses the question should EMDG continue or not.

The only way for EMDG to remain useful to exporters going forward is make the following changes: –

  • Remove the “first in, first served” approach.
  • Remove the Tier categories (types of exporters)
  • Exporters should be able to choose with flexibility which countries to market to, not government determined.

South Australian State Government – Global expansion program

A possible alternative to EMDG, maybe/maybe not.

See the following link.
https://statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/export-trade-and-investment/global-expansion-program

A short lodgement window, applications close this Friday 11th April 2025.

It’s competitive and not about helping you market overseas directly (airfares are not covered) but getting you ready to do so, business review and consulting advice in the main to be funded.

We are not going to play in this space.

Rounds 1, 2 & 3 Milestone Reports for 2023/2024.

Milestone reports must be submitted by May 31. There is no extension possible.

We have already reached out to clients about these until we are blue in the face.

We have already completed 90% of those due, the getting the final 10% done is proving more painful than a visit to the dentist.

We cannot help you unless you help yourself. The sooner we can submit the milestone report, the sooner it will be assessed and paid.

If you do not get your report in by the due date, you may have your grant offer rescinded.

Lost money for sure.

Round 3 Milestone reports for 2024/2025.

This must be submitted by August 30th. There is no extension possible.

Similar comments as above apply here as well.

We will be in touch between May & June to get the ball rolling.

Stuart & team

Mitchell & Co – March 2025 Newsletter

by Uncategorized

March EMDG Update

Ho Hum here we go again.

Summer’s over, school holidays are just a memory for everyone.

The only constant is President Trump lurching from one drama to another.

You could not write a TV series that has so many plot twists.

Reminds me very much like Married at First Sight – high drama for sure.

In contrast EMDG now is not that exciting for sure, but please read on to be up to date on things.

Letter to Trade Minister Farrell.

My letter to the Minister some weeks back can be viewed on our website.

The Minister’s response (well lack of) can also be viewed on our website.

A very professional bureaucratic response that tells me absolutely nothing, no care or empathy and a total lack of responsibility.

I am mulling over having another go in the coming days.

Rounds 1, 2 & 3 Milestone Reports for 2023/2024.

For most of you, this has already happened.

We have 10% of lodgement numbers still to go.

The milestone reports need to be completed by May 31st; however, our focus is to get them done in March and April. Why, you ask?

Two reasons:

One, it means you will get paid sooner than later.

Two, we are anal retentive and have a list in front of us, that we want to tick off to get to 100%. It is driving us batty!

Nil milestone reports lodged after March 31st, will now cost you a $1,000+GST.

If we haven’t submitted your milestone report, please get in contact with us to help you with the preparations now!

Round 3 Milestone Reports for 2024/2025.

These are the milestone reports for this financial year, they can be lodged now as well, we have made a start with some clients already paid.

These reports are due by August 31st. There will be no extension possible.

Round 4

Processing by Austrade is happening.

There is some good and bad news for applicants.

Most applicants have already been issued a grant offer (grant issued and accepted) or per the EMDG portal the status is showing as “Pending grant agreement”.

In fact, the EMDG portal (which we check constantly on your behalf) is now very similar to an online purchase tracking your parcel delivery service.

“Pending grant agreement” means your grant offer is ready to be shipped/emailed but there is no indication of when it will be sent.

There are some other stages, submitted, assessment in progress, unsuccessful (for incomplete applications, which we have lodged appeals on your behalf) that means that things are yet to get to the assessment in progress stage.

After the pending grant agreement stage, it is all downhill from there, grant agreement issued, accepted and executed.

85% of clients are at or past the pending grant agreement stage.

Not all applicants I am sorry to say, will get to the pending grant agreement stage or beyond.

A small percentage of our Tier 2 clients who lodged after 11.20am or so AEST, as result of no fault of their own, i.e. portal system bugs, will unfortunately miss out.

As per the response from the Minister’s office, the bottom line of the response is no action will be taken, no responsibility or ownership.

Austrade’s spin doctors will come to the fore in due course. I am so sorry for those who will miss out, beyond our control, but it does not make it any easier to accept.

For those who have got the grant agreement the payment of your grant is “two-fold”.

A $20,000 prepayment in July 2025 for most, but not all applicants.

A final or full payment in July 2026, based on expenditure in your lodged milestone report (we’ll prepare this for you).

Such milestone reports now must be lodged before the year end, 15th of June 2026, strange but true, this only helps Austrade.

So, monies will have to be spent by the end of May 2026, you have been shortchanged a month of EMDG support. Not sure if that was discussed with any EMDG client focus group.

Just another one of those things that we must take on the chin, take a deep breath, regroup and keep going, just a bit like President Zelensky.

Stuart & Wayne

Letter to Trade Minister Farrell – 20th January 2025

by Uncategorized

Jan 20th, 2025
Senator Farrell
Minister for Trade and Tourism
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Via email minister.trade@dfat.gov.au; senator.farrell@aph.gov.au

Dear Senator Farrell,

Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) Round 4 – Many applicants will miss out – a flawed and unfair application process.

I write in relation the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) program, given the launch and close of Round 4 late last year.

Recent press indication the lodgement process for Round 4 being chaotic. I agree with those comments.

I did write to you back in May 9th 2024 (copy attached – with your of 15th August response as well) and predicted the outcome that Round 4 has now produced.

I do accept you inherited a flaw (new approach) to EMDG given the changes that came about from 2021.

The system (spilt payment) for the matching demand against funding available being far superior to that was now implemented for Round 4.

In the past only a small percentage of applicants (less that 20%) were not paid in full, the process was much simpler, more efficient, effective and gave much more certainty than now is the case.

Round 4 was the first to apply a “first come first served approach”.
Austrade stating that the justification for the new approach was twofold.

• Client survey results that 29% of those surveyed agreed with such an approach.

• Comparisons with other programs.

Both are very shallow arguments and do not support the outcome of the program as it now stands, in addition :-

• 71 % of those survey did not support the change in approach.

• Other grant programs were of a much different type and therefore not comparable.

A “first in first served approach” only works when the expected demand is anticipated to be roughly inline with the available funds. I refer you to my prior correspondence.

This is not the case for EMDG Round 4.

Most round 4 Tier 2 applicants (those wishing to expand their existing markets) will not be successful and not offered a grant agreement.

For Tier 2 before the cut-off time – 1.20pm on the opening day Austrade accepting some 1148 applicants, far more than the 620 as stated it would be doing so on its website.

The 1148 also does not take account the 200-300 applicants who were also frozen out from completing their applications and are therefore not included in the total above.

Doing the numbers:-

620 possible places

1148+200 =1,348 actual and possible applicants.

620/1348 = 46% possible success rate for applicants, less than 50%.

I do not accept the additional applications up to 1148 were allowed to act a “buffer” of ineligible applicants – close to double the number you are going to pay.

Does not sound right to me.

On the opening day November 12th there were several lodgement issues for applicants: –

• Application system bugs/errors – to be expected of course with any new system.

• A very confusing approach to how to input ones forecasted marketing expenditure.

• A change in actual lodgement portal input fields to the published guidelines per the Austrade website – different questions, change in numbering and fluid attachment requirements.

• If you did not apply, you could not do so again until 2027/2028 – as for the last 50 years or so, exporters should be able to apply every year.

• For WA exporters , they had to be online by 7.00 am their time, with many excluded before their normal opening hours.

The above factors causing some exporters due to no fault of their own (taking additional time given the above) to miss the cut-off time.

In addition, I am also concerned for the number of regional exporters that with poor internet connection who may not have been able to access the EMDG portal at all.

I did raise this issue with Austrade last year and was told that any such client should get in a car to drive to a better internet location.

I found the response dismissive to say the least.

Less than 50% of Tier 2 applicants after spending a lot of time and effort will now be successful, this is simply a policy failure of the highest order, and I urge you to undertake a full investigation.

For Tier 3 the impact is similar but to a lesser degree as exporters had a longer lodgement window.

I ask you to undertake the following urgent steps :- 

  1. Undertake an immediate investigation as to how such a terrible result for Tier 2 applicants came about – how many applicants did Austrade expect in the first place and why is the “buffer” of applicants over the funding so large – not in the order of 10%-15% as it should be.
  2. Undertake a review of lodgement numbers for Tier 2, by state and postcode to determine lodgement numbers by each type.
  3. Conduct an immediate survey to all applicants (including those who frozen out) and ask again, do you support a “first in first served approach”. It’s not fair to do so only to those that were successful.
  4. Inject additional funds for the 2025/2026 year to ensure that all eligible Tier 2 and 3 applicants are accepted and paid.
  5. That changes be made EMDG Round 5 to prevent such a similar result never happens again.

I am very keen to meet with you to discuss the above concerns.

I can arrange for an EMDG Round Table in South Australia for you speak to exporters first-hand about their EMDG Round 4 experiences.

I have done so for past Ministers. I would expect numbers to be more than 100. This could happen in other states as well.


Yours sincerely
Stuart Mitchell

Mitchell and Co
CC Mr Steve Georganas Steve.Georganas.MP@aph.gov.au