As the reform process in Japan gathers pace, greater numbers of Australian small and medium-sized businesses will probably look more closely at the Japanese market. But it is also clear that opportunities abound in Japan right now. And the Australian Government will play an important role in setting a favourable climate for doing business and maximizing the opportunities for business linkages between Australia and Japan. It is, of course, a truism, to say that in the end it is business that will do business. Companies must make their own commercial decisions and seek out market opportunities.
Government can, however, be constructive in building partnerships between countries.
And there is no more important aspect to the building of partnerships than building prosperity together. It is centred on boosting the competitiveness and productivity of Australian business. We will take comprehensive measures to lift our savings rate and inject greater efficiency into our macroeconomic performance. And we will revitalise and deepen microeconomic reform in key areas such as the labour market, Australian ports, communications, transport and energy. Secondly, the bilateral track of the Government's approach underpins our commitment to work more closely with business in developing Australia's trading relationships.