Exports account for around 22 percent of our gross domestic product and one in five jobs. Additionally, our balance of trade, and our trade activities now have an increasing influence on the lives of all Australians.

Historically it was the commodity providers in wheat, wool, gold, coal and iron ore who were the vanguard of our export performance, and it was more in the area of imported products where everyday Australian’s saw a direct impact: imported cars, electronics, fashion and TV programs.

Now our export products and services are very widely based, and are just as likely to be sourced from small family outfits as from large multinationals. Inbound tourism, education, and our services sectors have broadened the mix of where our export earnings derive.

Universities now place increasing emphasis on International Business and International Marketing courses, so that our graduates have a strong appreciation of world trends before heading into employment. We hope that overseas students studying here will also take back a strong affiliation with Australia, which in turn can only assist with future opportunities for trade.

To cement this trade and export culture, it is important for our media to continually update us on activities, events and particularly the success stories of our businesses trading overseas, and not just the big guys.

We all need to be aware of the growing importance of trade to our lives; it will define many of the future career paths and roles of today’s students.

Through that understanding, we are better placed to recognise and acknowledge the successes of our small and medium-sized exporters. This will in turn encourage other businesses to emulate their success to establish an export culture.

—Peter Mace is the general manager of the Australian Institute of Export