Australian businesses planning to export can draw on two main federal sources: Austrade, which offers advice, market information, contacts and grants, and Export Finance Australia, which provides finance products. Programs change, and some are not open at any given time, so treat this article as a map and confirm details on the official pages before you plan around anything.
This is general information, not financial or legal advice.
What Austrade offers
Austrade’s page for exporters lists online toolkits, export opportunities, a network of overseas posts, advice and insights, business contacts and grants, including the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG), and a Go Global Toolkit for businesses facing supply chain disruption. The page itself is brief, so explore its linked sections for specifics.
Useful ways to use these services:
- Toolkits and insights: to build your early understanding of a market before contacting anyone.
- Overseas network: to find out what support is available in a particular destination.
- Business contacts: to be introduced to people who understand the local environment.
Pair this with your own desk research on the target market, so you arrive with focused questions rather than a general enquiry.
Export Market Development Grants (EMDG)
According to Austrade’s EMDG page, EMDG gives grants to help Australian businesses market and promote their goods and services overseas, and to fund export training. It is aimed at Australian small and medium enterprises and representative bodies supporting SME members, with three tiers: SMEs ready to export, SMEs exporting within existing markets, and SMEs exporting to new key markets.
Important cautions:
- At the time of writing (November 2026) the page says Round 4 is closed and that the timing of the next round has not been confirmed.
- Eligibility details, such as the definition of an SME and grant amounts, sit in separate sections and rules, so read those before assuming you qualify.
- Older articles describe earlier versions of the scheme. Rely only on Austrade’s current pages.
Export Finance Australia
Export Finance Australia lists these solutions:
| Product | Described purpose |
|---|---|
| Small Business Export Loan | Online, streamlined option for funding below 350,000 Australian dollars |
| Loans | Tailored facilities above 350,000 Australian dollars, covering working capital, international expansion and capital expenditure |
| Bonds | Advance payment, performance, warranty and US surety bonds |
| Guarantees | Support for securing bank finance to fulfil overseas contracts or expand internationally |
| Project and structured finance | Tailored finance for large projects |
Whether any of these suits you depends on your circumstances, so speak with the agency and your accountant or financial adviser.
A sensible sequence
- Clarify your market question. Which country, which product, which channel?
- Do desk research using official and platform sources.
- Read Austrade’s current pages and note which services are open to you.
- Check grant rounds and eligibility before spending money you hope to recover. Where a grant reimburses or contributes to costs, check what counts as eligible before you spend.
- Talk to your bank and Export Finance Australia if you need working capital or bonds.
- Plan the content and localisation work your market entry needs. Language and cultural adaptation matter for reaching customers; see how Australian brands can reach international audiences.
What government support does not do
It does not create demand, translate your content, or adapt your brand. Intellectual property and licensing questions, for example, also sit outside these programs; see international content licensing for an introduction, and take professional advice.
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact does not administer grants or provide finance. Its Global Expansion and Content Licensing division works on localisation and adaptation, and on Australian market entry support for overseas businesses, which can sit alongside the official support described above. See /global and /global/market-entry, or contact us.
Sources
- How we can help you, Austrade
- Export Market Development Grants, Austrade
- Our solutions, Export Finance Australia
