BACKGROUND:

Following the highly successful Australian Food and Grocery Council’s Budget Analysis Webinar, we will be hosting a series of webinars focussing on investment and incentives.

Join this webinar to understand changes to Australia’s foreign investment policy and Government’s role in working with investors.

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) is responsible for the promotion, attraction and facilitation of productive foreign direct investment (FDI) into Australia. At a practical level Austrade helps international companies establish and build their business in Australia. Anne Maree Weston will present Austrade’s and the Government’s priorities for agribusiness and food investment, ways of working with us and broader insights from 2020.

The Foreign Investment Division of Treasury is responsible for the day to day administration of Australia’s Foreign Investment Policy. This policy framework is highly relevant in Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing industries given strong levels of foreign investment. Kirsten and John are joining the webinar to answer questions and provide practical tips to navigating the Foreign Investment Policy.

SPEAKERS: 

Anne Maree Weston
Head, Agribusiness & Food Centre of Excellence, Austrade

Anne Maree Weston is the Global Lead for Austrade’s network of investment specialists, export advisors and business development managers who work in this priority sector.

Anne Maree is a highly experienced finance and economics professional who has worked with a range of corporate advisory firms, private equity houses, fund managers and financiers in the agriculture and food sectors. She has been engaged by Australian and overseas clients to attract investment capital, both debt and equity, into their projects and businesses. Her experience encompasses livestock, agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing.

Kirsten Embery
Manager in the Case Review Branch of Treasury’s Foreign Investment Division

Kirsten joined Treasury in 1992 and has since worked on a range of policy issues in Treasury, including on competition policy, superannuation and tax policy. In her current role, Kirsten leads a team that assesses foreign investment applications for agriculture, mining and commercial land.

John Breusch
Manager, Policy, Foreign Investment Division, Treasury

John manages the Policy Framework Unit – which has been driving the current foreign investment reform process. John previously worked in Treasury’s Macroeconomic Modelling and Policy Division. Prior to joining Treasury in 2017, John worked in a range of positions largely in the field of economic policy, including in South East Asia and as a political and business journalist at the Australian Financial Review.

Participants will be provided Zoom meeting details on completion of registration.