Victoria set for $144m trade boost

A Victorian trade mission to south-east Asia generated $300,000 in sales for business and was expected to create $144 million in export benefits over the next two years, an evaluation suggests.

Premier Denis Napthine led the delegation of 300 automotive, food, aviation, education and healthcare businesses to five Asian countries in June. Businesses gained financial support to participate and were required to submit evaluation of sales, anticipated exports and extra jobs created over the next two years as a result of the mission.

An estimated 319 new jobs were created, Dr Napthine said.

Evaluation by the government shows the companies involved generated immediate sales of $331,110 and anticipated $35 million more in the next 12 months and a further $108 million the following year.

"This program has helped Victoria become Australia's leading export state with our exports increasing by 4.8 per cent; a greater increase than any other state or territory and well above the national rate of 0.9 per cent," Dr Napthine said in a statement.

At the time, Indonesia's telco, Telkom Indonesia, announced it would open a Melbourne office and a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines said it would expand maintenance operations, creating up to 100 jobs.