Panel Discussion: Australian Trade after Covid-19

Australia is facing its worst trade outlook since the Great Depression. Covid-19 has caused a global economic recession. Lockdowns all over the world have constrained shipping and manufacturing. Global supply chains have been severely disrupted and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. In the midst of this, China is blocking billions of dollars’ worth of imports from Australia in a move that many observers view as a retaliation to Australian policy.

At our November event Madeleine King MP, Dr Jeffrey Wilson, and Aleks Henderson will discuss Australia's current trade outlook, the problems Australian exporters are facing, and what can be done about them.
 

About the speakers

Madeleine King MP was elected to Federal Parliament in July 2016 as the Member for Brand. She was re-elected in May 2019.  In June 2019 she was promoted to the front bench of the Labor Opposition to serve as Shadow Minister for Trade.  She previously held the positions of Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs, Shadow Minister Assisting for Small Business and Shadow Minister Assisting for Resources. 

Ms King worked as a solicitor in private practice before moving into the higher education sector as a lawyer and then as Chief of Staff at The University of Western Australia. Before entering the Parliament, Ms King was the founding executive and Chief Operating Officer of the Perth USAsia Centre between 2012 and 2016.   In her leadership of the Perth USAsia Centre, she helped to bring a unique Western Australian perspective to international discussion on Australia’s role in the emerging Indo-Pacific region. Ms King has strong personal links with her seat of Brand, which includes the major centres of Rockingham and Kwinana, having grown up in the area and attended local public schools.

Aleks Henderson is the WA Director of the Australia’s export credit agency, Export Finance Australia (EFA). She is responsible for providing finance solutions to WA businesses which are exporting directly, are involved in export supply chain (i.e. mining services), are looking to expand overseas, or have been impacted by Covid-19.

Before joining EFA, Aleks was a career banker with almost 20 years’ experience working in commercial banking and specialised working capital finance across several industries in WA and QLD. With significant sector experience across Manufacturing, International Trade and Mining, Aleks’ key focus is to support WA exporting businesses and those in the supply chain to reach end customers and grow their business globally.
 

Dr Jeffrey Wilson is the Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre. He provides leadership and strategic direction in developing the Centre’s research program across its publications, policy and dialogue activities. 
 
Dr Wilson specialises in the regional economic integration of the Indo-Pacific. He has particular expertise in the politics of trade agreements, regional economic institutions, and Australia’s economic ties with Asia. He has been featured in local and international media outlets, contributed to a range of track two dialogues between Australia and key regional partners, and supported policy development through consultancy, publication and advisory work.