David Morris Projects

27/06/2026

Australia welcomed 1 million Chinese visitors in 2025, contributing $10 billion in-country expenditure. That’s 1/4 of all short-term visitor spending. Our new ACBC/LEK Consulting report found that, on return home, Chinese visitors’ purchases of Australian goods and services rise 88%. So the visitor economy is more than tourism, it’s an ongoing export boost.

The Australia China Business Council is pleased to partner once again with L.E.K. Consulting on this latest report examining inbound tourism from China, one of Australia’s most important service export opportunities. Nearly a decade on from our previous reports, this research reinforces the value ...

14/06/2026

10 years old, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank doubles down on climate finance. And, despite all the current pessimism about international cooperation, its new head points out multilateralism is how we choose to bring solutions: “We may have differences, but we choose cooperation, which we turn into practical development outcomes”. I’ve researched, written and published on the AIIB (including a chapter in my book, A New Era of Risk) and it still appears to be a best case example of practical multilateralism. We need best cases.

As the Beijing-based development bank marks its 10th anniversary, its president says institutions like hers ‘create certainty amid uncertainty’.

22/05/2026

It’s our most consequential partner for business and our economic future. That means we need China knowledge + relationships + capability. Australia China Business Council Tasmania has been convening a series of executive, closed door discussions with decision-makers. Last night, we hosted the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry . Powerhouse discussions, critical issues, valuable progress, important next steps. Team Tasmania/Team Australia. We’re ready for growth 💪🏽

Thanks to our sponsors rgrobertsgraylawyers

19/05/2026

It was no Nixon visit but neither was it Trump 1.0. The apparent stability, predictability & mutual respect evident in the Trump-Xi summit may - if it can be sustained - serve as the basis for a new, sustainable international order. That’s progress, after the escalating confrontation of the last decade. My take on Trump’s 2026 journey to Beijing.

For the sake of the world, it’s vitally important that China and the U.S. find ways to manage differences and negotiate a more cooperative future.

13/05/2026

Watch this space.

We’re bringing Tasmania’s exceptional whisky distillers to Hong Kong and mainland China this November.

Drop me a note if you’d like to get involved.

08/05/2026

Every Saturday at thousands of visitors experience a uniquely Tasmanian welcome from Charles and Annie.

For years they’ve been cheerful ambassadors not just for their own business, but for Tasmania itself — championing lavender growers and producers from across the state.

Their stall has become one of those iconic Salamanca encounters: friendly conversation, beautifully presented Tasmanian products, and the kind of authentic hospitality people remember long after they leave Hobart.

In an era where so much retail feels impersonal, Charles and Annie remind us that the heart of Tasmania’s visitor experience is still people — passionate locals who proudly share the stories, quality, innovation and spirit of this island.

08/05/2026

Tasmanian pride Tasmanian attitude
Tasmanian cool
in with & the mighty

30/04/2026

The disruptions to sea freight are all over the news. Tasmania’s air links to our major export and tourism markets are also of critical enabling importance for jobs and growth for Tasmanians.

The Australia China Business Council was delighted to host a welcome dinner for the leaders of two major Chinese airports, visiting Hobart to engage with Hobart Airport , Tourism Tasmania and key seafood exporters.

Wuhan is a major aviation and logistics hub for central China - a gateway into one of the country’s most dynamic regions. Strengthening connectivity between Tasmania and central China has real, practical benefits - from faster, more reliable export pathways to increased inbound tourism and investment flows.

We curated a rare opportunity to engage directly with decision-makers who shape air freight capacity, passenger routes and future partnerships. We were pleased that Deputy Premier Guy Barnett MP headlined our welcome dinner for the Chinese VIPs and Trade Tasmania was dinner sponsor. It was fabulous to introduce our VIP visitors to some excellent Tasmanian whisky - Fire Horse from 🥃

This was Team Tasmania in operation, which sums up exactly how we want to position the Australia China Business Council. We are committed to positioning Tasmanian business for the next phase of trade, tourism and investment development and China will be an important part of that story.

10/04/2026

Amid the immediacy of the war and the economic shockwave unleashed in the Middle East, a slower-burning but consequential risk is slipping out of focus.

The withdrawal of the US from meaningful climate leadership isn’t just symbolic—it weakens the global weight behind the scientific guidance of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. That guidance, long supported by the US “scientific powerhouse”, has been foundational in helping governments, businesses and communities understand the mounting risks: more frequent and severe natural disasters, rising sea levels and growing threats to food security, amongst other changes underway.

Climate change doesn’t pause while attention shifts elsewhere to geopolitical or economic shocks. It compounds quietly, steadily, and often irreversibly.

This moment calls for others—the European Union, China, Australia and like-minded partners with scientific weight—to step forward with greater ambition and coordination. Not only to fill the leadership gap, but to ensure that long-term systemic risks are not overshadowed by short-term noise.

Because the most dangerous crises are often the ones we choose to overlook.

Without US backing and more money being spent than brought in, the IPCC’s trust fund could run out by 2028.

08/04/2026

Anniversary dinner ❤️