Prime Minister, Your Excellency Xanana Gusmão
Vice Prime Minister Your Excellency Francisco Kalbuady Lay
And can I just congratulate the VPM on the wonderful event last night. Thank you so much for hosting the event last night and for your commentary this morning as well. Much appreciated.
Your Excellency Helder Lopes.
President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Jorge Manuel Araujo Serrano.
Ministers, parliamentarians, business leaders, distinguished guests, and friends.
Bondia!
As I said last night, expressing the great honor that it is to be here in Dili, it’s also a great honor to be here this morning, for the opening of the second Timor-Leste Australia Economic and Business forum.
As I mentioned to you at the dinner last night, and as you’ve heard, I am the Minister for three things: for International Development, for Small Business, and for Multicultural Affairs.
And you may think that those three portfolios are a little bit of a strange combination to have, but in fact, there is a lot of intersection between those three portfolios.
And in this term and having the great privilege of having those three portfolios, I want to take the opportunity to build those connections between international development, small business, and multicultural affairs.
In terms of international development, looking at how we promote private sector growth, and sustainable job creation in Timor-Leste – particularly for the country’s large cohort of youth.
In Small Business, looking at how we can help Australian enterprises maximise trade and investment opportunities right here in Timor-Leste, for the benefit of both Australia and Timor-Leste.
And you might be wondering where multicultural affairs comes into all of this. Well, a fun statistic for you, is that around 40% of small businesses in Australia are owned by people who come from other countries. So, there is a connection between the three.
And I am incredibly humbled but also incredibly excited about the opportunity to utilise those three portfolios, bringing those three sectors together, international development, small business and multicultural affairs, to really encourage, grow, and develop people-to-people and business-to-business relationships between Australia and Timor-Leste, building on a history of strong friendship and a strong relationship between Australia and Timor-Leste.
So, I extend my warmest welcome to all the participants here today. I understand there are more than 400 participants at this conference. Including delegations from Australia’s Southeast Asia Business Exchange Mission and the East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Welcome to you one and all.
I’d also like to extend my sincere thanks to our hosts and partners from the Timor-Leste Chamber of Commerce and industry and from across the Timorese Government. Thank you.
Hard to believe that this is only the second conference, that it’s only in its second year, but it is fantastic to see that TLAUCON has attracted so many businesses, and right across different sectors as well – agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, mining, even just sitting down I was having a look at all the different sectors that are represented here.
And everyone here today knows that business-to-business engagement is what drives innovation, it creates jobs and it unlocks new opportunities. And I think we’re already seeing that in action just in the short time that we’ve all been able to be together today.
Australian businesses are increasingly active in Timor-Leste across a range of critical sectors, including telecommunications, tourism, finance, oil and gas, shipping, agriculture, manufacturing and services.
And I might just take a moment here, just to say thank you, to all the Australian businesses who have come to Timor-Leste for the conference here, but also to all of those Australian businesses who are taking that leap - who are walking down, and going down that path that is less trodden, and really, taking a chance on business here in Timor-Leste, because I hope that you understand, and I hope that I can sincerely convey to you, that whilst, yes, it is about business, it’s also about people, it’s also about relationships, and it’s also about the mutual benefit for both Australia and Timor-Leste.
And can I also take a moment to thank all of those Australian businesses who took the time last night and some this morning as well, to come to me and to talk me through, and introduce themselves, and talk to me about what they are doing. Congratulations to all of you. I think that we should give them all a hand, what do you think?
And of course we’re really proud to foster these growing networks through events like this conference.
But Australia also delivers tangible and meaningful outcomes in Timor-Leste through a 25-year development partnership.
We are proud to continue support for initiatives that connect Timor-Leste to the region – and empower businesses to operate effectively and sustainably.
I would like to touch on some of the development cooperation initiatives that I think represent some of the most transformative work Australia does in our region.
As close neighbors with a rich history of people-to-people links, labour mobility is a core pillar of our relationship.
And I’ve been really proud to see how Australia has partnered with Timor-Leste to create more employment opportunities, particularly as I mentioned earlier, for Timorese youth, through our Pacific Australia Labour Mobility program, also known as PALM.
Now this initiative, as well as its predecessor, has now seen tens of thousands of Timorese workers gain some job-ready skills.
And here’s a great statistic for you: the 20,000th Timorese worker has recently gained a job placement in Australia.
So, we’ve just recently surpassed 20,000.
That’s twenty thousand Timorese workers, who have been welcomed into Australia’s local communities – right across the country – and who have made significant contributions to our agriculture, our fisheries, horticulture, and our meat processing industries.
They’ve built skills and capabilities that they can bring back to Timor and benefit the economy here, and develop the economy here. And I want to give you some examples. I want to tell you some stories, if I may. if you’ll allow me.
And the first story I want to tell you is about Ameta, a Timorese coffee farmer whose beans are now featured by Quists coffee in Melbourne. Now, if you don’t know Melbourne, let me tell you, it’s got some of the best coffee in Australia, they say.
Now, regardless of the immense hardships in his early life, Ameta had ambitions to set up his own coffee business and support his local community.
So, he worked as a mango picker in Darwin, and saved enough money through that to buy a laptop, and a motorbike and the materials that he needed to set up his first coffee processing plant in Atsabe – it’s just a few hours inland from Dili.
And now, coming from such humble beginnings, and overcoming such challenges, he’s in a position where he passes on his knowledge and his skills to his community – training local farmers, training their families to pick, wash, sort and process the coffee beans grown on their land.
That’s just one example, of how, just one labour mobility participant can bring skills, and experience, and knowledge, and innovation, and start a successful international business, right here in Timor.
And if I may tell you another story, this is the story of Elsa, and Elsa spent one season in Australia as a palm worker to fund her dream – and I like Elsa’s dream, because it’s a little bit like my dream - she funded her dream of opening a sewing business.
So, she’s started her business, she’s producing some handmade decorations, some cushions, some wall hangings, right from her family home. Right in her family home.
And now she is able to employ her mother and her aunt and she is planning on opening a shop.
These success stories are the building blocks of a strong and inclusive Timorese economy – one that Australia is really proud to play a role in supporting.
And another essential building block of economic growth is infrastructure, especially infrastructure that enhances connectivity.
And Australia is also proud to support the redevelopment of Dili’s Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport.
And this project will enhance Timor-Leste’s capacity to welcome tourists, facilitate trade, and attract investment.
We all know that a modern airport is not just an airport, it’s a gateway – a gateway and a signal to the world that Timor-Leste is open for business.
It complements the country’s growing tourism sector, which is being showcased here at the conference.
But connectivity in this day and age is more than just physical connectivity – it’s also about the digital world.
And one of the most transformative initiatives that Australia has been supporting is the Timor-Leste South Submarine Cable.
We’ve provided technical advisory support for the design, procurement, and delivery of this project – led by the government of Timor-Leste.
And I was pleased to learn that the cable is now connected and that fast broadband internet will soon be available right across the country.
This leap forward in digital connectivity will empower businesses to operate more efficiently, access global markets, and collaborate with Australian partners in real time.
Households will be able to plug into the global marketplace, and young Timorese people will be able to connect easily with their peers and build links with the region.
And, rest assured, Australia is now working closely with several Timorese Government agencies to ensure that the risks associated with this increased connectivity – including cybercrime – can be managed effectively.
These developments in digital transformation, connectivity and labour mobility aren’t just abstract government initiatives.
They are real, they’re tangible demonstrations of what can be done when we work with government, with industry and most importantly when people work together.
As a near neighbor, with a very direct stake in Timor-Leste’s success, Australia wants these initiatives to enable the Timorese people to reap the benefits of integration into regional and global economies.
Ladies and gentlemen, this time last year, Timor-Leste became a member of the World Trade Organisation. Congratulations.
And this coming October, we will be joining Timor-Leste to celebrate its accession to ASEAN.
I’m proud that Australia has provided technical assistance and the diplomatic advocacy to support Timor-Leste’s entry into these critical associations.
And we recognise that these memberships will open doors for Timorese businesses and deepen trade and investment partnerships across the region.
Ultimately it’s in Australia’s interests as well, as we want to see our closest neighbors thrive and deepen economic partnerships with Australia.
So, we will continue to partner with Timor-Leste – through the development cooperation program.
And through efforts under the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to boost two-way trade and investment.
But, most importantly, most importantly, through our people-to-people links.
So, on a final note. as we begin this conference, let’s all remember that our shared future depends not only on policy, but on people – on the entrepreneurs, the workers, and the leaders who turn ideas into action.
I wish you all the best for the conference over the coming day and tomorrow. but I will say, this: as a former professor, and somebody who has attended hundreds of conferences in my lifetime, the one thing that I always take away, is that the work begins after the conference.
So, I hope that you use this conference as a springboard, for much longer more sustainable, and sustained, conversation, and relationship. And that you take away from this, not just the relationships that you build today and tomorrow, but the opportunity. Because the opportunity is here. The momentum is real, and the future is ours to shape together.
Obrigada barak!