Governor Chris Gregoire has directed that flags at all Washington State agency facilities be lowered to half-staff Tuesday, May 13, in memory of U.S. Army Reserve Spc. Joseph M. Cerfus of Marysville who died during an active duty military training exercise in Canada on Monday.

Other government entities, citizens and businesses are encouraged to join this recognition.

Flags should remain at half-staff until sunset Tuesday or first thing Wednesday morning, May 14.

Trade Mission to Australia & New Zealand

Governor Chris Gregoire led a delegation of Washington business, agriculture and education leaders on a trade mission to Australia and New Zealand, May 4 to 12, 2006. The mission developed new markets and trade opportunities for Washington's high quality products and services, and explored collaborations and technology transfers in energy and the life sciences.

The focus of the mission was to match participating Washington companies and research organizations with qualified partners in Australia and New Zealand. Consumers in these countries have an affinity for U.S. products and our research efforts often parallel work being done in Australia and New Zealand.

Governor Gregoire and the delegation promoted Washington as a leader and partner in innovation, a premier tourist destination for visitors from the two countries, and a great place to locate a US division of international companies. Governor Gregoire also worked to negotiate a reduction in tariff barriers to trade.

In Brisbane, Governor Gregoire visited Boeing's Australia offices. She also signed with Queensland Premier Peter Beattie a formal memorandum of understanding on biotechnology collaboration and was introduced to Parliament before traveling to Melbourne, where she met with representatives from Qantas Airways.

Australia has been a reliable and profitable trading partner for Washington companies for many years. With few barriers to entry and a similar legal and corporate framework, Australia is business-friendly to U.S. companies. The Free Trade Agreement that the U.S. and Australia signed in 2004 removed certain trade barriers, making it even easier for Washington to export products to this country.

New Zealand is an emerging trading partner for Washington with demonstrated growth potential in several target industries. In 2005, the country ranked 21st out of Washington's top 50 export countries, with more than $335 million in exports.

In Auckland, Governor Gregoire met with Prime Minister Helen Clark and Trade Minister Phil Goff before meeting with key officials in the timber industry.

Itinerary & Delegates