Mitchell and Co – July 2026 – EMDG Independent review released

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EMDG update – Release of the 2026 Independent Review – Commentary

We now send an update on the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG program).

Last week the 2026 Independent Review of the EMDG was released by Trade Minister Farrell and is now on the Austrade website :

https://www.austrade.gov.au/en/how-we-can-help-you/working-groups-and-engagement/independent-review-emdg-program.

The report is a statutory requirement that happens every five years.

Here are my own views on the report, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

In summary

The review was undertaken by Mr. Yeend in late 2025.

We also attach the applicable summary pages for those that want to get straight to the point.

emdg-Independent-review-2026 Summary Recommendations

The report has 29 recommendations for change to the program in the future.

There is no request for extra funding. It was excluded in terms of reference for the review.

The current budget of EMDG remaining at $110M, below the level it was some 30 years ago.

There is no change to the current EMDG Round 4 cycle now in force.

The proposed changes are about what EMDG should/will look like in the future, post July 1, 2027, when Round 5 is due to commence.

The Minister stating in his press release of July 2nd.
“The Government will formally respond to the review’s recommendations in due course ….. and I will engage with Austrade to consider the recommendations.”
The proposed changes are grouped as follows:

  • 1-10 : Refinements for EMDG
  • 11-15 : Representative BodieS
  • 16-17 : Online Portal improvements
  • 18-23 : Communication
  • 24-27 : Whole of Government
  • 28-29 : Monitoring performance and legislation review

The changes to EMDG that are of interest (mainly those numbered 1-10) being:

  • Removing the “first in first serve” approach used for Round 4.
  • The assessment process to be “merit” based.
  • The application process to revert to being yearly.
  • Combine Tiers 2 (existing markets) and Tier 3 (new markets).
  • Reconsideration of the need for a detailed export market plan.
  • Changes to overseas travel expense levels.
  • Specific Representative Body changes.

Other recommendations are centered on how Austrade will do its job, better communication and the use of AI and a whole of government approach and how it liaises with stakeholders to the program.

The Good

I do like the report overall.

Mr. Yeend is to be congratulated.

I am shouting from the roof tops about the removal with the removal of the “first in first served” application lodgment process and the move to an approval process based on substance, not timing.

Other proposed changes falling in place behind this one.

It is a different report to those over the last 30 years that I have been a part of.

It is very much focused on processing issues, how to apply and what errors there were for the Round 4 process i.e. “how to fix things” rather than overall big picture motherhood statements and policy reinforcement.

Things needed to be fixed.

The satisfaction level for self-prepared applicants being only 44%

Much lower if using an export grants agent like me – 59% and well below Austrade’s overall satisfaction target of 75% that the EMDG makes a difference to an applicant’s export efforts.

Minister Farrell also having to inject an additional $12.88M into the program to fix the heavy oversubscription of Teir 2 applications for Round 4, which also caused some exporters to wait some 10 months to know if they were to be funded or not for the 2025/2026 grant year.

I therefore support the major changes as I have listed above.

I support most of the recommendations with the usual caveat of “lets see what it they look like in practice”.

For example, what will be the level of turnover required for a merged 2 and 3 tier type, $500,000 or $1,000,000?

I do not support recommendation 17, the use of AI in assessments as I do have a fear of another “Robodebt” debacle.

I do not support recommendation 23 as it ignores the role of grants agents like myself in producing a better-quality application with a higher level of client satisfaction.

It is not me that counts, it is all in the hands of the Minister.

The Bad

Given the proposed changes are in the main are positive, it would be remiss of me not the raise the negatives that come about as well.

Not so much a negative, but a reflection of the changes having to happen in the first place.

In essence, the recommendations for change are in my mind confirmation that recent much heralded changes to EMDG have failed and are now being abandoned.

Exporters have suffered as result of them.

I cannot tell you how many times I raised my view (huffing and puffing till I was blue in the face) with Austrade and the Minister that the “first in – first served” approach would be a disaster.

The approach having no industry support at all.

To have such an approach after only one iteration to be changed is good, but is also bad, I call it gut-wrenching. It should never have happened in the first place.

Yes, good things are changing, but they should not have happened to start with.

Past bad policy design in the past now being corrected.

The Ugly

I think things are going to get Ugly for EMDG before they get better.

EMDG is currently all about the processing and payment of submitted milestone reports for Round 4 that were due by the 15th of last month.

Austrade has stated the prepayment of 2026/2027 grant advances will happen this month, a delay from the those paid in June 2025 for the first year of Round 4.

Both will take time and resources. Austrade cannot do everything at once and overnight.

Then we have the next big question on the horizon –

“When will Round 5 happen?”

It will take time to digest the recommendations of the report. The Minister in the first instance has to give his formal response before the wheels can even start turning.

There will be a consultation period led by Austrade about the changes.

Then the issuing of new application guidelines and the like.

In the Senate estimates hearing of June 5th Dr Grimes the CEO when asked responding as follows: –

Senator CANAVAN: ” Okay. At estimates last, I’m informed, the next EMDG round was not expected until late this year. Is that still the plan? “

Dr Grimes: ” Yes. With the next round of EMDG, I would imagine and expect that it will be heavily shaped by any recommendations that the independent reviewer makes and, of course, the government’s consideration of those recommendations. We are imagining that we would be implementing the next round of the program once the government’s been able to consider the recommendations and we’ve had an opportunity to make any adjustments within our internal processes. So it could be …..It could be late this year; it could be early next year.”

Given the proposed changes airing from the review, I cannot see that Round 5 (the next EMDG iteration) will be ready to go by November, just 5 months down the track.

I have scars from the system bugs and changing information requirements for Round 4.

I think Austrade should take all the time it needs to get things right.

In my view Round 5 should not happen until early 2027.

Do I need to do anything now that the Review has been released?

No. All you need to do is sit tight.

We will keep you in the loop about all things EMDG as things unfold later this year or in early 2027.

All the best

Stuart

Mitchell and Co – July 2026 Newsletter

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EMDG Newsletter July 2026 – A new financial year

We provide the following update on all things EMDG given the start of the new financial year.

Round 4 2025/2026 Milestone Reports

All lodged, done and dusted, it is now all about, “show me the money”.

Many thanks for all your help getting your required milestone reports in by the due date last month.

With a lot of huffing and puffing, we got there in the end. A good team effort.

Yes, Brooke, you were the last one we submitted, but that is just a secret between the two of us.

Austrade’s resources in recent weeks have been focused on the receipt of the milestone reports rather than any audit activity or payment.

This will now change and I expect a flurry of activity and payments from today.

At all times we deal with any queries that may arise on your behalf. Please do not contact Austrade, we will manage any audit assessments when they arrive.

Prepayment of 2026/2027 grant entitlements

For those clients who are on the $20,000 prepayment system for part of your grant entitlement, your 2026/2027 prepayment (unlike for 2025/2026 which was paid in June 2025) was not paid last month. It will happen soon.

Austrade advising in a recent email to us: –

“Initial payments for the 2026-27 grant year will begin from July 2026 for grantees who are compliant and have submitted their 2025–26 milestone report, once that report has been assessed.”

Not really a prepayment in my mind and the timing now depends on Austrade’s internal processing timetable.

Unlike us Austrade sets its own timetable we can only march to their drumbeat.

Austrade’s advice makes no reference to those clients who have already been assessed, but I imagine they will do it all at the same time.

The processing of the recently lodged milestone reports and the 2026/2027 prepayments means that this month (we hope so) will be a busy month for all.

EMDG 2025 Review – Report to be issued soon, very soon

The independent review of EMDG conducted late last year has been concluded with the final report given to the Minister on 21st May, somewhat later than originally promised.

The Minister is required by legislation to release the report within 15 sittings days of parliament. That means it will have to happen this week, before July 2, the last of the sitting days of the parliamentary winter session. It could even happen today.

Once it is released, I expect Austrade will provide details of the report findings (well they should) for you and all exporters on their database. We will provide an update at that time as well.

EMDG Round 5 – Coverage for 2027/2028 and 2028/2029

Round 5 will provide EMDG support for exporters from July 1, 2027, for the two-year period up to June 30th, 2029. Like before you will have to lodge an application in advance.

The timing of when the application process will happen, to borrow from Shakespeare “that is the question” we want the answer to.

We have previously indicated that this would probably follow the same timetable as Round 4 and occur in November of this year.

Now we are not so sure it could be delayed until early next year.

In the Senate Estimates hearing on June 5th, Dr Paul Grimes, the CEO of Austrade, stated: –

“… With the next round of EMDG, I would imagine and expect that it will be heavily shaped by any recommendations that the independent reviewer makes and, of course, the government’s consideration of those recommendations. We are imagining that we would be implementing the next round of the program once the government’s been able to consider the recommendations, and we’ve had an opportunity to make any adjustments within our internal processes…. It could be late this year; it could be early next year.”

The timing of the application process is 50% bet.

My preference is that it should happen later than sooner in the new year, to get the 2024 milestone process all finished first and not happen in a rush.

Again, once we hear from Austrade, we will provide an assessment to you of the merits of a Round 5 application.

All the best,
Stuart

Mitchell and Co – EMDG May 2026 Federal Budget Newsletter

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EMDG (Export Market Development Grants) and the 2026 Federal Budget

The 2026 budget papers confirm EMDG will continue.

Funding in the forward estimates remaining at $110 million per year for the next 3 years, up to 2029/2030.

The spend level for 2025/2026 is shown to be slightly higher, $122.8 million to reflect additional funding to deal with the application over-subscription bungle for EMDG Round 4 back in November 2024.

Then back to $110 million again.

Funding in 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 assists exporters covered by Round 4 of the program.

The next funding cycle for new applications will be known as Round 5.

Round 5 will cover the years 2027/2028 and 2028/2029.

No details are known currently.

The Minister’s website does not show anything as we go to press with this update – always wanted to say that in one of our newsletters!

We anticipate the application process for Round 5 will happen in November of this year as it did for Round 4 back in 2024.

The 2025 Independent Review into the scheme is still to be published.

We expect that to happen in the coming weeks as well.

Mitchell and Co – EMDG Newsletter May 2026

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Milestone Reports Due 15th June – 6 weeks to go.

Not long to go now.

Yes, we remind (nag) you again about your legal obligation to lodge your 2025/2026 EMDG milestone report by June 15th.

6 weeks is not a long time. It is about the same time as the gestation period for a baby Kangaroo, albeit the offspring then have a nice comfy pouch to continue growing.

No such safety net for EMDG applicants.

Austrade is yet to advise what happens if you do not make the lodgment date. I would expect a short grace period of about 2 weeks.

We have 20% of clients who are yet to contact us. You would know who you are, so please do with a sense of urgency.

We are working on the balance.

Most of the milestone reports lodged to date have been assessed and paid.

Payments are now within 2 weeks of lodgment.

Lodge now to be paid.

Lodge now – a double whammy!

For those clients who have grant agreements with the $20,000 prepayment option for the 2025/2026 (paid already back in June 2025) and for 2026/2027 (payable in June 2026) the following apply.

  •  If you have lodged your 2026 milestone report well before June 15th and it has been approved you will be paid your 2026/2027 grant prepayment, that is another $20,000 in June.
  • If you have not lodged your 2026 milestone report or do so at the last moment so your 2026/2027 prepayment will be delayed, post June 30th.

Lodging now means double the cashflow to you before year end.

You cannot do any better!

EMDG and the Federal Budget

Less than 2 weeks to go. Like the gestation period for a Virginia Opossum!

I do not expect any good news or in fact any real news about EDMG in the budget, which has been the case in recent years.

The Minister may however tie in the release of the 2025 Independent Review report of the scheme with any budget news about the future of EMDG.

We will just have to see what happens.

We keep you informed of anything that is newsworthy from an EMDG perspective.

Mitchell and Co – EMDG Newsletter April 2026

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EMDG Round 4 – April Newsletter

EMDG milestone reports are due by June 15th.

As you are a Round 4 recipient it is a mandatory requirement that your milestone report is submitted and it means you will be paid your grant.

We have made a start on most of the milestone reports we are responsible for.

For some clients the silence has been deafening.

If you have not already done so, please contact us and/or send in information that we may have already requested.

The sooner the better for us both.

EMDG and the Strait of Hormuz

What does EMDG and the Iranian conflict have in common? Not much it seems.

Here is a link to our recent letter to the Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell. No response so far.

Mitchell and Co – Letter to Trade Minister Farrell

If you want to contact the Minister yourself, here are the Minister’s contact email address and Facebook page details.

trade.minister@dfat.gov.au
senator.farrell@aph.gov.au
https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDonFarrell/

All the best,

Stuart & Wayne

Mitchell and Co – EMDG March 2026 Newsletter

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EMDG March Newsletter

It is all about Round 4 of the EMDG program.

First a sermon about the Iran conflict and EMDG

In recent months I have always started the email with a comment about President Trump.

In terms of the Iran conflict, words simply fail me and I can’t think of anything meaningful to say, without getting me into real trouble should I choose to visit the USA sometime in the future.

The conflict is an external threat (one of the SWOT terms, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) that you have no control over whatsoever.

It impacts big time in regard to your ability for you to travel and produce your goods given fuel price increases & pending shortages.

One of our clients was on the ABC news yesterday stating they had no diesel fuel supplies for their fishing fleet to put to sea. You cannot market and sell fish if you cannot catch it in the first place.

For tourism there is no point in marketing overseas to Europe if your customer does want to travel in the Middle East airspace – totally understandable if you ask me.

Hells Bells, it also hit me hard when I had to pay $2.47 per litre for petrol and I only sit behind a computer and press buttons.

EMDG Round 4 is not helpful in terms of dealing with this current threat to your export activities.

  • You are locked into markets that you had to choose back in November 2024.
  • You cannot change them to suit the change in market conditions as is happening now.
  • You must spend at least $40,000 in the 25/26 year or no grant entitlement will be assessed, you will have to repay the prepaid $20,000 grant payment paid back in June 2025. (Representative bodies excluded).
  • You can only claim economy-based airfares.
  • You must still show export activity / sales in 2025/2026, notwithstanding the roadblocks in the way now, nor forgetting the “TTT’s – Trump’s Tariff Tantrums – Oops – there goes my USA visa!

If your overseas travel plans and marketing strategies have been impacted by either the tariffs or the Iran conflict, please tell let us know.

Tell us your own story so I can write directly to Minister and CEO of Austrade and raise it on your behalf.

Real examples carry more weight than an old bloke that seems to always shouting from the sideline.

Second – back to EMDG Round 4 basics.

We both have an obligation to lodge your milestone report before June 15th, and we have already started the process for clients.

All the milestone reports we have submitted so far have paid in full by Austrade.

It is about getting in early, so long as you have spent enough to do so.

If you have submitted your 2025/2026 milestone report, there is nothing to do now. Job finished until June 2026 grant prepayment cycle (for 26/27 grants) and a possible Round 5 application in November.

If you have not been in contact with us or responded to Wayne’s recent email blasts, please do so as soon as you can.

Call us panic merchants, but from where we sit the clock has already started ticking.

Third – No news yet on the EMDG review of last year or Round 5 details.

We expect this will happen in mid year. Not sure if it will be an opportunity or threat to your future export efforts.

All the best,
Stuart & Wayne

EMDG February 2026 Newsletter

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EMDG February 2026 Newsletter

It’s that time of the year when everyone sends out their ubiquitous “Welcome to the New Year” newsletter to pump prime things and get past the holiday season.

I just go with the crowd, so here is one from us as well.

For myself it has been a slow start as I am recovering from a back operation, but now back in action and training for the New York Marathon… just kidding but feeling much better for sure. Wayne has also returned from his extended holiday break; you will start to see emails from him.

Round 4

We are now in full swing for Round 4 Milestone reporting preparation and lodgment.

We will see how Austrade’s new planned audit activity will unfold in the coming weeks.

Austrade has found some new money to offer grant agreements for 2025/2026 to all Tier 2 applicants lodged before the EMDG portal closed on November 12th, 2024. So, well done in that regard.

The milestone report requirements this year are more complicated and time-consuming with more supporting documents required as well.

These reports are all due by June 15 – yep, before the actual grant year ends.

The date was chosen not to help you, but to help Austrade only.

This is the first time in over 50 years of EMDG support that the lodgment date for applications/reports is not after the end of the grant year you are reporting upon, strange but true.

You can “pre claim” any expenditure for activity from June 16th to the 30th. You cannot carry it over to the next grant year.

You cannot pre-pay for any expenditure for the 2026/2027 financial year.

We do not write the rules we only report upon them.

Austrade seems to think you prepare and lodge your milestone report within one day. This is not the case. You need to get things done properly, it does take time, both for you and us.

You can only lodge before June 15th if you have spent double your grant entitlement already. We would think using expenditure up to May 31 to allow 14 days to process the data, answer the required portal questions and have all support documentation required ready to submit.

We have been reaching out to clients to review expenditure to date and see if your report can be lodged as soon as possible.

We are hopefully to get as many as we can lodged by Mid-May before the mad rush that we know will happen on June 15th.

Having said that, based on experience, Austrade may allow a short window past that date to lodge the milestone reports, but I would not guarantee it.

We remind you all again of all key pressure points for your milestone report.

A nil $ report – no expenditure will still count as usage of a grant year.

You must spend over $40,000 this year, up to June 15th (see comments above), to enable the minimum grant of $20,000 to be eligible for payment – representative bodies are excluded from this rule.

If you have been pre-paid $20,000 for 2025/2026, (payment received in June 2025), and your milestone report records less than $40,000 of expenditure, you will have to repay the $20,000 in full.

You can only claim economy class airfares or an equivalent percentage of paid business class costs.

  • For Tier 2 – you must show in your report expansion of marketing activities, not just doing the same things as before.
  • For Tier 3 – you must show both expansion and strategic shift in your export activities.
  • For Tier 4 – representative bodies, you must show new activities undertaken.

If in doubt, shout out to us as soon as possible, so we can help you as best we can.

2025 EMDG Independent Review

There have been no updates on the review. We expect the report will be issued mid-year, it needs to be tabled in parliament first, so it depends on future parliament sitting dates – Autumn and Winter.

EMDG Round 5

No news here either, still expected to happen around November of this year, with some consultation and publicity of its rules in the months prior.

All the best,
Stuart & Wayne

Mitchell and Co – EMDG Newsletter December Xmas edition

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EMDG Newsletter December Xmas edition

Hello from us.

Your last EMDG newsletter for 2025.

Round 4 update.

We are writing to you as a Round 4 applicant and as a follow up to Austrade’s email broadcast of yesterday.

In addition, we send season greetings and advice of our Xmas closure period.

We do confirm that Austrade has processed all Round 4 applications and all our clients have received a grant offer, albeit a small number for only one year, just 2026/2027 instead of 2025/2026 and 2026/2027.

The focus now is on the preparation of 2025/2026 Round 4 milestone reports.

These reports are due by June 15th, 2026, much earlier than in the past.

We are following up on this as indicated in our last newsletter.

The EMDG portal is now live for Round 4 milestone reporting.

We have already tested the portal ourselves and have an issue with one of the questions.

We are following up to get the matter fixed so we can really get moving on things in the new year.

The portal opening now does not help everyone.

Lodging early is only of value if you have already spent enough to ensure your total grant will be paid in full.

We will continue to liaise with you to work out when to prepare your milestone report & press the submit button.

Having said that, the timing of the portal opening just before Xmas is a bit of an anti-climax for us.

Nothing much has been happening in recent weeks, so I have decided we will have an extended holiday period this year. First time ever in 25+ years of EMDG assistance.

Wayne will be on leave from the end of this week, and I will be off to the cricket next week, of course it could all be over sooner than later.

We will be closed from December 15th, 2025, to January 10th, 2026.

Wayne will be back the week after.

Emails/telephone calls will and answered as per normal over the break

We will get stuck back into milestone reporting preparation upon our joint return in January.

Let us hope EMDG in 2026 can only get better, we are still recovering from the Round 4 lodgment process our very own “Annus horribilis”!

All the best for the festive season and may your beach holidays be free of algae, with good times with family and friends for all of us.

Best wishes Wayne and Stuart

Mitchell and Co – November 2025 Newsletter

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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