Ciobo to fly flag in States

GOLD Coast Federal Minister Steven Ciobo hopes his first visit to the White House will boost trade ties with Australia and he believes there will be benefits for the Glitter Strip.

The Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister left yesterday with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for major trade talks in Washington.

The pair are being joined by almost every state Premier including Queensland’s Annastacia Palaszczuk plus CEOs and chairs of 22 Australian companies.

Prior to departure, Mr Ciobo said Australia and the US had “an incredibly important broad and deep trade and investment relationship”.

“This will be an opportunity to continue to build on that,” he said ahead of meeting his American counterpart, the US Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer.

“This is the most significant delegation Australia has taken to the US,” Mr Ciobo said.

“The US is particularly interested in Australia’s infrastructure program, there is real opportunity for Australian businesses to provide support around infrastructure in the US – potentially that could include some Gold Coast based firms,” Mr Ciobo said.

“The Coast is home to a number of very successful consulting and engineering services firms on infrastructure. If we’re able to forge a very strong working relationship on US infrastructure that will create opportunity for Gold Coast companies.”

The Australian delegation spends a day in New York and three in Washington. Among 21 US business leaders in the talks is News Corporation cochairman Lachlan Murdoch.