Welcome to Trade at a Glance 2015, the latest summary of Australia's trade, investment and economic performance over the past year.
Australia's prosperity is linked to economic opportunities beyond our borders. In declaring that we are open for business, our aim is to maximise the contribution of trade and investment to economic growth. This publication shows that Australia is outperforming the OECD average in key trade and economic indicators.
In 2014, Australia's trade performance contributed close to two-thirds of our economic growth. Our two-way trade grew by 2.4 per cent to over $660 billion, which included an 8.3 per cent rise in exports of services, the largest sector in our economy and one that will be crucial in the post-mining boom environment.
Foreign investment links Australia to the new knowledge-based global economy. There is a positive trend in decisions by global companies to establish and expand their presence in Australia. And Australian companies are globalising. In 2014, our two-way investment stocks reached $4.7 trillion.
Our free trade agreements are central to our efforts to secure future trade and investment success. These agreements are helping level the international playing field, and providing a competitive advantage across a wide range of sectors. We have now finalised free trade agreements with our three largest export markets, China, Japan and Korea. And in October 2015, we concluded negotiations with 11 other countries for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement which will make a positive contribution to growth in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
There are strong grounds for optimism about our future trade and investment prospects.
The Hon Andrew Robb AO MP
Minister for Trade and Investment