The Australia–EU Trade Deal: Why Market Access Won’t Be Enough for Food Exporters
Food and agriculture have dominated discussion of the Australia–EU trade agreement for good reason. Market access for products such as beef, lamb and dairy has been one of the most contested elements of the negotiation, and the final agreement does deliver incremental improvements in this area. However, for exporters, the commercial implications of these changes […]
The Australia–EU Trade Deal: The Hidden Advantage for Services and Digital Businesses
The public debate around the Australia–EU trade agreement has focused heavily on goods. For service-based and digital businesses, that focus understates where the most immediate structural change has occurred. The agreement reshapes how these businesses operate across borders – not by eliminating complexity, but by reducing a set of constraints that have historically limited scale. […]
The Australia–EU Trade Deal: A Strategic Reset for Global Business
The Australia–EU Free Trade Agreement has now been finalised, marking a significant development in one of the world’s most sophisticated economic corridors. Much of the public debate has focused on agriculture, which is understandable. Market access for beef, lamb and dairy is politically sensitive, and it has shaped the negotiation narrative. But from a business […]
A Business Leader’s Guide to AUKUS
For many business leaders, AUKUS still feels abstract. It appears in headlines alongside submarines, geopolitics, and long-term defence spending – important, but distant from day-to-day commercial decision-making. As a result, many executives assume AUKUS is either too big, too political, or too slow to be relevant to their business today. That assumption is wrong. AUKUS […]
Japan’s February 2026 Election Marked a Strategic Turning Point
On 9 February 2026, Japan held a snap general election that produced one of the most consequential political outcomes in its post-war history. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured 316 seats in the 465-seat House of Representatives, giving the party a two-thirds supermajority. Including coalition partners, the government now controls more than […]
The US–India Trade Deal: A Reset Disguised as a Breakthrough
When a single announcement produces that much divergence, it’s usually a sign that the headline is doing more work than the substance beneath it. This is a deal that means something — but probably not what either its loudest critics or its most enthusiastic cheerleaders think.
Why Protectionism Doesn’t Build Prosperity – And What History Actually Shows
For centuries, political leaders have promised that protectionism will make their nations stronger. Higher tariffs, tighter industrial policies, subsidies for local producers and regulatory barriers are routinely framed as tools to defend jobs, rebuild domestic manufacturing and secure economic independence.
A pivot in the trade playbook: Why Donald Trump just cut tariffs on beef, coffee and bananas — and what it signals
When a U.S. President who spent much of the year rolling out sweeping tariffs suddenly announces a reversal on staples like beef, coffee and bananas, it’s a signal worth unpacking. Over the weekend the Trump administration dropped duties on more than 200 food-imports — including beef, coffee, bananas and orange juice.
Trump Tariff Trouble: Pharmaceuticals on the Firing Line
Recently, the US administration announced a new wave of tariffs, including a 100% levy on branded pharmaceuticals entering the United States from October 1, 2025.
Avoiding Customs Chaos for Premium Brands Entering Australia
Australia has some of the world’s strictest biosecurity and import compliance protocols, making it both a high-potential and high-risk destination for global brands. For premium food, beverage, and beauty companies, this is not a market you can afford to approach casually. In the first quarter of FY24 alone, the Australian Border Force reported that 30.9% […]
