Australia: No nation is an island. Except when it is. And even then, not really.

By B.J. Richards

In last year’s report on the Australian consulting market, we wondered if 2013 would be remembered as the year that the troubles of the world finally found their way to Australia. The global financial crisis (or GFC, as the locals like to call it) had long been wreaking havoc across much of the world, and yet Australia had remained largely unbothered – it’s enormous physical distance from most other modern economies serving as a highly effective buffer.

This year, it's become clear that the GFC has not only made landfall, but that it had been arriving in waves all along (after all, it has certainly been a major factor in the much-discussed stress in the resources sector).  It was just that it had been so battered and diluted by the currents along the way as to have little sting left by the time it showed up.  Ultimately, the arrival of the internet has been responsible for much bigger world-shrinking trouble. Granted, that’s hardly a recent development, but as Australian consumers embrace online retail with more and more enthusiasm, domestic retailers feel the squeeze increasing with each passing year.

But as important as external influences may be, surely we all know Aussies aren’t so passive as to allow them to be the only story, and indeed the waves they’re sending out are at least as interesting as those rolling in. Recent years have seen Australia bursting out of its geographical exile to make its presence more keenly felt on the world stage. Just as the internet has made it easier for Australian consumers to import, it has made it easier for its businesses to export their goods and services, and they are revelling in the opportunity. Those miles that must have been such a comfort back when the Brits were sending their convicts to those distant shores are now doing very little to shield the world from the ambitions of Australian entrepreneurship.

So, what does Australia’s increasingly visible role on the world stage mean for the consultants who call it home? Well, at the broadest level, it means more sophisticated clients and all the opportunities and headaches that come with them. Australian clients, looking to meet the world from both offensive and defensive positions, are offering up more complex projects, seeking higher levels of specialisation, and shifting from short-term thinking to long-term strategy. And, of course, there’s a lot of efficiency work on offer – it’s one thing to run a loose ship when you’re one of a few small players, but you won’t survive long out in the wider world.

As Australia pulls closer to the rest of the world, we won’t always be able to predict what will find its way ashore (bankers of the world, we’re sorry that your schadenfreude moment isn’t coming), but we can be assured that the flotsam and jetsam will be arriving with more frequency. And we’ll also do well to remember that tides turn both ways.