I’d like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of these lands, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people.
On behalf of the Australian Government, welcome to His Excellency To Lam, General Secretary and State President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and your esteemed delegation, on this landmark visit to Australia.
Your Excellency, we last met in Hanoi in October when I led Australia’s delegation to sign the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime.
That was an important milestone in Australia and Vietnam’s cooperation on digital security and critical technologies.
Today’s forum builds on that same spirit of partnership where we are focused on innovation, connectivity and the technologies that will shape our future.
Thank you also to UTS for hosting us all today and to everyone for joining.
At the heart of all human progress, at the centre of economic growth, at the core of improvements in quality of life, are advancements in science and technology.
We remember inventions like the microscope, the telescope, and computers and their cascading impact on knowledge and discovery…
They bring massive improvements in living standards, health and social outcomes, changed economies, more growth, more productivity, and human development.
Within this, and maybe less apparent and celebrated, is the need for collaboration, for partnership.
Take calculus.
It’s the backbone of mathematics, the study of how things change over time.
How an equation grows and shrinks, how it accumulates.
The slope of a curve, and the movement of variables like heat, motion, population.
In the 17th century, two men, Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz, one in England, and one in Germany developed its laws and limits independently.
Newton, starting with differentiation.
Leibniz, starting with integration.
Newton and Leibniz independently, differently, inventing calculus.
When they published their respective papers, there was uproar.
Newton claimed Leibniz had plagiarised his work, by taking ideas from his unpublished notes.
English speaking mathematicians sided with Newton.
Continental mathematicians stood by Leibniz.
And the divide between the two groups lasted for decades, setting back the continuing development of calculus to the detriment of all.
But what would have happened, what more could have been discovered, if these great minds had instead been able to work together?
What more would we know?
As we look to the challenges ahead, challenges that are likely to be insurmountable alone…
Or beyond the limits of what we already know…
And as we look again to the potential of science and technology…
We remember the need for partnership, for collaboration, to help realise that potential.
For Australia, we can only deliver on our Future Made in Australia agenda through investment in home-grown science and research systems.
Finding new ways to process critical minerals, make green iron, and reduce emissions in heavy industries.
And with AI, quantum and critical technologies, boost our competitiveness on the world stage.
For Vietnam, science and technology will drive continued economic development, with innovation at the heart of national growth plans.
And your Excellency, we commend your championing of these initiatives.
Particularly Resolution 57 of the Politburo targeting breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.
For Australia and Vietnam both, scientific and technological progress will help propel our nations forward, above and over the obstacles ahead.
And under our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, we’re looking for more ways to do this together, through greater cooperation and investment in science, research, and innovation.
Key to this is our ten-year Aus4Innovation program, which prioritises bilateral initiatives that drive economic outcomes, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability…
While building the sort of mutually beneficial partnerships that will strengthen our innovation ecosystems.
Partnerships, like that between Queensland’s Griffith University, the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and the Thanh Hoa Department of Agriculture and Environment…
Who have together developed an AI platform for farmers, reducing emissions by up to 60 per cent, saving up to 50 per cent of irrigation water, and boosting farm productivity by nearly 20 per cent.
Or between Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, and the University of Southern Queensland, which are transforming agricultural waste into low-carbon building materials…
UTS too, has played a key role through its alumni, partnerships with Vietnamese institutions and the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technologies Centre, supported by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
This Centre, located at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology in Hanoi, is a hub for innovation, policy leadership and next-generation connectivity solutions on 5G and 6G research, cyber security and digital transformation.
We will also be funding research projects between Australia and Vietnam under our $1.3 million Australia-Vietnam Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Initiative…
Focusing on research projects in clean technology, the blue economy and waste management…
And building lasting, generational links between our universities, research institutes, businesses and industry partners.
Our partnership is growing not only in research and technology, but in the practical ways our nations connect.
I’m delighted to welcome the announcement this morning that Vietjet will operate new direct flights between Western Sydney International Airport and Ho Chi Minh City from early 2027, with additional services to Bangkok to follow.
It’s another step in bringing our people closer together, strengthening trade and tourism, and deepening the ties between Australia and Vietnam.
Because we know that partnerships are critical.
Between our countries, our governments, and leaders.
Between our researchers, universities, and industries.
Between our startups, entrepreneurs and businesses.
To connect research outcomes with industrial capability and investment.
Or as our Vietnamese colleagues would say, the ‘Triple Helix’ of public, academic and private sectors.
To make sure the best and brightest in our society have what they need to innovate, with cascading benefits and lasting impact for development and growth.
Today’s forum is a part of these efforts, bringing together our best, in science, education, technology, and business.
So thank you to partners from both Australia and Vietnam for making this happen.
Planting the seeds of partnership that will take root and grow and the shoots of cooperation that span oceans…
Tying our innovation ecosystems together, knitting our countries together, working together, to know even more.
Thank you.