Participants from nine APEC economies attended an IM4DC-supported APEC Symposium ‘Good Policy and Regulatory Practices for Facilitating Trade and Investment in Mining and Energy Services’ at The University of Western Australia in June.
The 30 delegates discussed the symbiotic linkages between mining and energy, and the services sector. Services enhance the economic benefits from mining and energy, provide another pathway to ‘value adding’ and contribute to mining and energy competitiveness. The symposium was organised and hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The objectives of the symposium were to:
- Build understanding of the scope of the mining and energy services sector and its role in both supporting and deriving benefits from mining and energy and in contributing to economies
- Build the capacity of policy officials and regulators to understand how policies and regulations which limit the openness of services markets have a negative effect on economic growth and productivity
- Develop policy officials’ and regulators’ understanding about the range of regulatory settings which can impact on mining and energy services, including in relation to the expansion of new technologies
- Develop good practice principles in relation to mining and energy services to assist development of a more open regulatory environment for trade in services
- Explore barriers to women’s economic participation through mining and energy services-related policies and regulations.
Participants visited several services operations in Perth, including the GE Oil and Gas campus, Australian Marine Complex, UWA’s Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems and BHP’s Integrated Remote Operations Centre.
IM4DC’s Ian Satchwell presented to the symposium on developments in mining and energy services trade, and regulatory challenges, and facilitated discussions.