Director, Trade and Quarantine National Farmers ’ Federation, Canberra

For four days in December, the world will revolve around Seattle. Billed as the Olympic Games of world trade, the Third Ministerial Convention of the WTO will attract global headlines as 2,000 media descend on the city from all over the world. Seattle is a trade-dependent city. The timber giant Weyerhaeuser exports lumber out of the Port of Seattle. Cargill exports bulk grain. Seattle is the home of Boeing, Microsoft, and the fast-growing internet stock Amazon.com. Seattle has a history of hosting big trade events. It hosted the World Fair in 1962 and the first APEC Leaders ’ Summit on Blake Island in 1993. The Seattle Host Organisation, co-chaired by Bill Gates from Microsoft and Phi