The service, studylane, was set up after reports showed that education services were Australia’s third largest export earner.

Education services bring in $16 billion dollars to the Australian economy, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010 – 2011.

studylane is a new online portal which will make Australia more accessible for the 300, 000 international students each year who choose to study in Australia.

Founder and CEO of studylane, Bipul Kafley, says that the service will provide trained counsellors to help provide assistance and believes it will help education in Australia overall.

“International students can also add different social and cultural perspectives that help the educational experience for all students- which can be very important in the globalised business world of today,” Kafley said.

studylane has access to universities and other education tools in all parts of Australia.

The surplus rose by $366 million in December with export value rising by 2.3 per cent.

A strong rise in resources exports was also recorded with a large recovery in coal exports following the Queensland Floods.

Australia’s exports continue to be dominated by resources, comprising approximately 62 percent of total exports in December.

There was a drop in services exports recorded that indicated a weakness in travel and education exports.

The divergent economy remains weak with a low rate of building approvals that have continued falling 24.5 percent year on year.

Recent interest rate cuts, and further expected cuts, are expected to provide support for the divergent economy and modest growth is expected in late 2012.

Following the unexpected rise in trade surplus it is predicted to moderate throughout 2012.

Mr O’Farrell said an assessment had found the potential benefits of the project were outweighed by the possible adverse impacts.

The $2.5 billion coal-loader was proposed to be built on the former BHP steelworks site at Mayfield. Yet the site is “more suited to handling multi product, container, general cargo and dry bulk terminal freight,” said O’Farrell in a January 28 statement.

He said the proposal for the large scale coal loading facility at Mayfield had created uncertainty in the coal industry.

“The government will continue to build on the existing industry-supported framework for the expansion of coal terminal capacity,” O’Farrell said.

Tinker’s proposal, under his Hunter Ports Ltd, would have had a capacity of 100 million tonnes a year and included a new rail link to take coal trains out of Mayfield.

The Hunter Ports project was competing with the $5 billion Port Waratah Coal Services proposal for a fourth loader, to expand existing port facilities.

Port Waratah Coal Services  said the decision of the NSW government to reject the Hunter Ports ‘Terminal 5’ proposal gave the Hunter Valley coal industry certainty. The group labelled the proposal an “incomplete concept from outside the hard-won industry framework”, saying that it did not seem to have costed or modelled against the overall coal chain.

Australian coal exporters have recently been struggling with existing railroads and ports under pressure to cope with increased demand.

The port of Newcastle, located about 125 kilometers north-northeast of Sydney is the world’s largest thermal coal port.

The two-day event held over 22 and 23 May this year, planned by Superyacht Australia, will bring together stakeholders to discuss the state of the superyacht industry.

According to MaryAnne Edwards, CEO of the Australian International Marine Export Group, ASMEX is vital in the current economic climate.

“Whilst it is impossible to predict the future it is imperative for businesses to better understand the current operating environment and where future opportunities and sales may come from,” Edwards said.

An overview of the industry, including the positive progress of policies and regulation surrounding superyachts, will be presented at the conference.

The programme of the event will be released shortly and is expected to include a feature of international and national speakers.

Registrations are open now and can be completed here.

President of AIMEX Alistair Murray said, “This is an important step forward for the marine industry, uniting two very significant industry sectors and it will certainly increase the profile and support available for the Superyacht industry.  AIMEX has been managing Superyacht Australia for 18 months, so it is a logical step now to move to a position of working as one entity.”

Current chairman of Superyacht Australia, Barry Jenkins also commented on the merger. “The decision to merge with AIMEX was taken at the recent Annual General Meeting of SYBA(Superyacht Australia) held in late November, with current directors and financial members unanimously agreeing this was the best way forward for the group.  SYBA had been struggling to remain an independent entity and needed to come under the umbrella of a vibrant, proactive industry body.”

He also added, “The management, marketing and lobbying support AIMEX will bring to Superyacht Australia will ensure the superyacht industry sector gets the recognition it deserves.  It is important that greater traction and impetus be given to key issues which are seen as barriers to more superyachts visiting Australian waters.”

After being managed by AIMEX, Superyacht Australia’s international profile has enjoyed more promotion, making inroads into lobbying issues and developing a new website.

Those interested in attending have the option of joining buying missions hosted by The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc (TCFWA), TCF Australia and the Belmont Business Enterprise Centre (Belmont BEC).

CEO of TCF Australia, Belmont BEC and TCFWA Carol Hanlon said that some businesses could benefit from accommodation sponsorship. “Working in conjunction with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, we are excited to invite Australian businesses in the TCF sector to Hong Kong Fashion Week and World Boutique. Hong Kong Fashion Week are generously offering hotel sponsorship registration and VIP privileges to eligible businesses.”

The buyer’s mission will be suitable for designers looking for raw materials, retailers looking for product, manufacturers looking for offshore manufacturing and new businesses. Those interested in availability for accommodation sponsorship should contact clarisse.reynoso@tcfaustralia.com

The Resources and Energy Quarterly – December quarter 2011 forecasts an increase in the value of local resources, with energy exports in 2011-12 to be underpinned by higher earnings from iron ore, coal, oil, gas and gold.

BREE’s executive director and chief economist, Professor Quentin Grafton said: “The 15 percent increase in Australia’s minerals and energy export earnings will be underpinned by strong growth in export volumes for iron ore and coal and high gold prices.”

Export values for iron ore are expected to increase 11 percent to $50 billion as well as metallurgical coal up 13 percent to $34 billion and gold up 45 percent to $19 billion.

The growth in earnings in 2011-12 is also expected to be underpinned by growth in export values for thermal coal, crude oil and condensate as well as liquefied natural gas.

“The increase in iron ore and thermal coal export volumes reflects recent expansions to mine and infrastructure capacity, while metallurgical coal exports are forecast to be higher as production conditions improve in Queensland,” said Grafton.

The 2011-12 period will also see increases in export volumes for thermal coal (up 14 percent to 163 million tonnes), iron ore (up 13 percent to 460 million tonnes), as well as gold, copper and metallurgical coal.

The past quarter has seen risks to Australia’s mineral and energy exports increase, reflected in the forecast value of exports being revised down by four percent compared with the September 2011 quarterly forecast.

“Despite the uncertainty surrounding the outlook for some European economies, Australia’s export volumes for most commodities have remained strong in the second half of 2011, while prices for many commodities have remained at historically high levels,” said Grafton.

Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) financed a producer offset loan to production company Ulah Pty Ltd, set up by producer Anthony I. Ginnane, to finance production costs of the film.

According to Alex Fernandez, EFIC’s head of Alliance and Product, SME and Mid Market, the loan helps cash flow restraints by outlaying funds before the government Producer Offset tax rebate comes in.

“We are proud to suppor Antony I. Ginnane in the export of a confronting Australian story through our Producer Offset loan,” Fernandez said.

The film follows the story of a radical Palestinian who holds hostage a holocaust survivor after a failed suicide bombing.

“The film touches on issues of ideology, faith and freedom but ultimately is the story of family and a mother’s love,” Fernandez said.

Ginnane, said the loan came when the production was facing a funding gap.

“EFIC’s support gave us the financial breathing space we needed to tell this story about the power of compassion and reassure our international partners that we could meet our agreements to distribute the final production to international audiences,” Ginnane said.

The EFIC Producer Offset loan assists in financing eligible Australian film, documentary and television productions.

HSBC bank have announced Alan Park as the head of the global initiative Project Finance Metals and Mining for Asia Pacific.

The initiative will develop mining-focused project finance business globally and for the Asia Pacific region.

Chris Russell, head of global banking at HSBC Bank Australia, said Australia is a priority market because of its growing trade and investment flows with emerging markets.

“Australia is the second largest project finance market in the Asia Pacific and we see high potential for market growth,” Russell said.

“There are currently 102 mining projects at an advanced stage of development in Australia, with a record capital expenditure of over $230 billion.”

The initiative aims to connect customers with trade and investment flows between the 87 markets globally operated by HSBC.

James Cameron, head of project finance Asia Pacific for HSBC, said the initiative would expand capability offshore and in Australia.

“We’re supporting Australia’s largest names in infrastructure and mining as they expand their operations offshore as well as our regional client base as they seek opportunities to invest in Australia,” Cameron said.

After review by the committee, the findings were focussed mainly on the compensation of industry members for the temporary suspension of live cattle exports after a damning report aired on the ABC’s Four Corners program earlier this year. Though the committee recognised the impact the program had on Australian popular opinion of live exports. “There is genuine and widespread concern in the Australian community about the welfare of Australian animals exported for slaughter in other countries. We must continue to strive to improve the treatment of Australian livestock and foster significantly improved animal welfare standards,” the report said.

Conclusions drawn in the report went on to mention the impact that the TV program had in fast-tracking the need for further and stricter regulations in the industry that were to be continually monitored.

The committee also found that the cessation of live exports from Australia was not the answer to the problem. “While many submitters to this inquiry have argued strongly that the solution to these animal welfare issues is to end all live exports, the committee does not agree. The committee considers that Australia’s active involvement in the live animal export trade puts it in a much better position to act as an agent of change,” the report reads.