Olivia Coldrey

Olivia Coldrey

Professional Business/Industry (Coral Sea) Award

Media Profile

“The potential economic benefits to Australia and the United States arising from liberalisation of the US Government procurement market are substantial. For Australian business, the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) opens the door to a market worth an estimated A$200 billion per annum.  For the U.S. Government, the Agreement offers a potentially more competitive market for its purchase of goods and services.”

Olivia Coldrey has won the 2005 Fulbright Professional Business/Industry (Coral Sea) Award, established in 1992 by the Coral Sea Commemorative Council to recognise the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea.  Olivia is an economics graduate of the Australian National University and a laws graduate of the University of New South Wales.  After a period of practice with an international law firm, Olivia continued her studies in the United Kingdom, where she obtained a Master of Laws in international trade and financial law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Olivia plans to conduct her research at New York University School of Law, which will provide her with unrivalled opportunities to engage with leading international legal scholars and public and private organisations relevant to her project.

Olivia will research the U.S. Government procurement market, newly liberalised to Australia under the AUSFTA to provide Australian exporters with competitive market access.  Olivia has recognised the need for government and business to work together to understand and maximise the new trade opportunities presented by the Agreement and her research will seek to identify practical means by which Australian business and the U.S. Government can make the most of those opportunities.   She will focus on compiling valuable information about the market, with a view to facilitating trade between Australian business and the U.S. Government and furthering the aims of the AUSFTA.

With the Australian Government currently discussing with the People’s Republic of China the feasibility of an Australia-China Free Trade Agreement, Olivia’s research could come at a no less critical time.  The outcomes of Olivia’s research will seek to assist Australia and the U.S. to maximise economic benefits under the AUSFTA, but will also be relevant to future trade negotiations between Australia and its trading partners at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

Olivia draws inspiration for her work in international trade law from James Wolfensohn, outgoing President of the World Bank Group.   Mr Wolfensohn’s commitment to meaningfully addressing the social and environmental, as well as economic, issues associated with global trade inspire Olivia to work to achieve mutually beneficially outcomes for Australia and its trading partners.  Upon completion of her Fulbright Scholarship, Olivia hopes to see the results of her research positively contributing to the strength of the Australian economy and to the international trading system. 

Currently, Olivia acts as Counsel to the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC), where she advises on the legal aspects of financing Australian export trade.