If you are planning an Asian market entry, two Australian Government agencies matter most: Austrade, which provides market intelligence, contacts, programs and grants, and Export Finance Australia, which provides finance when a bank cannot fully fund the export activity. They do different jobs. Knowing which one you actually need — and what neither will do — is the difference between a plan that holds up and one that stalls at the first funding or compliance hurdle.
What Austrade does for exporters
Austrade describes itself as the Australian Government's international trade promotion, investment and visitor attraction agency. Its trade services help eligible businesses assess market potential, develop export strategies and find valuable contacts overseas. Those services are delivered by advisers in Australia and in Austrade's international offices, and the agency directs businesses to an industry specialist or to a TradeStart adviser in their state or territory.
For an Asia entry specifically, the relevant Austrade touchpoints listed on its exporters page are:
- Go Global Toolkit — export guides, laws and regulations in target markets, tools to find export markets and check export readiness, plus free webinars.
- Trade Resilience Service — market intelligence and freight and logistics updates to keep exports moving.
- Australia Southeast Asia Business Exchange — a program aimed at increasing two-way trade between Australia and Southeast Asia, including missions and support for Australian business.
- Southeast Asia Investment Deal Teams — market insights and connections to local partners for businesses investing into Southeast Asia.
- Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) — grants that encourage small to medium enterprises to market and promote their goods and services globally.
- Accessing New Markets Initiative (ANMI) — managed by Austrade in close collaboration with national peak industry bodies, helping Australian exporters diversify into new global markets.
- Free trade agreement (FTA) guidance and, with the Australian Taxation Office, tax exemptions for approved overseas projects, which are designed to make Australian bids for international tenders more competitive.
- Dedicated support for First Nations businesses pursuing global trade and investment.
The word "eligible" is doing real work in that first sentence. Austrade's page does not set out the eligibility tests for each program, so treat eligibility as something you confirm directly rather than assume.
What Export Finance Australia covers
Export Finance Australia (EFA) is the Australian Government's export credit agency. It provides finance solutions to Australian exporters, including businesses within an export-related supply chain, and offers a range of loans and guarantees to support business growth. Its stated role is to work with your bank to provide supplementary finance or support in cases where your bank may be unable to help — it is not a replacement for your bank.
EFA's Southeast Asia guide frames export cashflow as a distinct problem from export strategy: having access to finance is critical, but securing it can be tricky. The guide's illustrative case study involves Nature's Dairy Australia, which EFA says used a $2.6 million Export Line of Credit Facility to finance working capital needed to meet growing Asian demand. EFA also publishes free eBooks on developing an export strategy and managing export cashflow.
Practical read: if your constraint is knowing the market, start with Austrade. If your constraint is funding the contract, inventory or receivables once the market is identified, EFA is the relevant conversation.
What this support does not do
Government support reduces cost and risk; it does not absorb them. Specifically:
- It does not guarantee market outcomes, sales, or approval of any grant or facility.
- It does not remove your legal obligations. Austrade states plainly that bribery of foreign public officials is a serious crime under Australian law, punishable by fines and imprisonment, and that businesses operating internationally must be aware of their obligations under Australian and foreign law.
- It does not substitute for your own due diligence. Austrade expects all organisations to conduct thorough due diligence before entering overseas markets, and points to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which the Australian Government endorses and promotes.
- It does not cover tariff or customs outcomes you have not verified yourself. FTAs create preferential access, but you must still meet rules of origin and product-specific requirements.
Asia-specific context worth reading before you commit
The evidence base for ASEAN market entry is strong but dated in places, so read the figures with their publication dates attached.
| Claim | Source and date | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| ASEAN has 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam | Export Finance Australia, Exporting to Southeast Asia, September 2021 | Treat as the working definition of the region |
| More than 13,000 Australian businesses export to ASEAN | Same EFA guide (2021) | Use as context, not a current count |
| Australia's two-way trade with ASEAN was $93 billion; ASEAN took 11.5% of Australia's exports and 16.1% of imports; two-way investment was $224.4 billion | DFAT/Austrade, ASEAN Now, November 2017 | Historical baseline — confirm current figures with DFAT or ABS before quoting |
| Education-related travel was Australia's largest export to ASEAN as a group; crude petroleum the largest goods export | ASEAN Now, November 2017, 2016 data | Historical, 2016 data |
On market access, the EFA guide describes AANZFTA (ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Area) as providing binding low tariffs and no tariffs on a high percentage of tariff lines, regional rules of origin, investment protections including an investor-state dispute resolution mechanism, and temporary business entry for services suppliers, goods sellers and investors. It notes Australia has separate market access commitments for each of the 10 ASEAN member states under AANZFTA, plus bilateral FTAs with some member states.
The same guide describes RCEP as signed in late 2020 by 15 countries but not yet in force at the time of publication (September 2021). Do not assume that status is still accurate — verify RCEP's current status and the applicable tariff schedule with DFAT before relying on it. The guide also states that about 95% of Australian goods can enter the Philippines duty free, and that trade between Australia and the Philippines grew by more than 70% since AANZFTA came into force; again, both are as-at-2021 claims to re-check.
Eligibility and verification checklist
Before building a budget or timeline around any of this, work through these steps in order:
- Confirm your entity and turnover basis. EMDG is aimed at encouraging small to medium enterprises to market and promote goods and services globally. Confirm your business meets the current SME and export-revenue tests on the Austrade program page.
- Confirm geographic and sector scope. Programs differ: some target Southeast Asia specifically (the Australia Southeast Asia Business Exchange, Southeast Asia Investment Deal Teams), others are global (EMDG, Go Global Toolkit).
- Contact an Austrade industry specialist or a TradeStart adviser and ask which programs you are eligible for now, in writing if possible.
- Check whether your project qualifies for the tax exemptions for approved overseas projects administered by Austrade with the ATO, if you are bidding on international tenders.
- Verify the FTA pathway for your specific product and destination — rules of origin, tariff lines, and whether RCEP or AANZFTA gives the better outcome for your shipment.
- Speak to your bank first, then approach Export Finance Australia if the bank cannot fully support the transaction. EFA positions itself as supplementary to your bank. Contact details published by EFA are exportfinance.gov.au, 1800 093 724 and info@exportfinance.gov.au.
Your next step
Pick the constraint that is actually blocking you. If it is market selection, work through the Go Global Toolkit's export readiness and market-finding tools, then request a conversation with an Austrade industry specialist and ask for the current eligibility criteria for EMDG and the Southeast Asia programs. If it is funding, prepare your export strategy and cashflow forecast first — both agencies treat preparation as a prerequisite — then take it to your bank and, where the bank cannot cover the exposure, to Export Finance Australia.
Finally, schedule a re-verification pass. Program names, grant rounds, tariff schedules and RCEP's status all change. Anything in this article drawn from the 2017 ASEAN Now report or the 2021 EFA guide should be confirmed against the current Austrade, DFAT and Export Finance Australia pages before it informs a contract, a tender or a board decision.
If you are also weighing how to fund business growth more broadly, you can compare finance pathways via /match/.
General information only. This article is general information about Australian Government export support and is not legal, tax, financial or migration advice, and is not a recommendation of any provider or product. Program eligibility, grant rounds, tariff outcomes and agreement status change over time; verify current details with Austrade, DFAT and Export Finance Australia, and consider independent professional advice for your circumstances. Australian Asia is not a lender, broker, government body, regulator or comparison panel.