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February 2017 / Newsletter #28

Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists' exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria


Until 26 February 2017

There is still time to visit the 'Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists' exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria! Until the 26th of February, the spectacular and avant-garde creations of Dutch fashion designers Viktor&Rolf are on display in Australia for the first time.

The exhibition features some of the Dutch design duo’s most show-stopping and innovative works, drawn from the Viktor & Rolf archive as well as museum collections in the Netherlands. There is also a special Kids Atelier, an interactive and creative space designed especially for children and families.


Assistant Minister Angus Taylor visits the Netherlands


At the end of January the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister the Hon. Angus Taylor, Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation visited the Netherlands. Dutch government and business officials have shown the Minister the smart city developments in the Netherlands and he also visited some of the smart city sites in and around Amsterdam.

In November last year a 26 strong smart city delegation from the Netherlands took part in the Dutch trade mission to Australia. As a follow up seven Australian cities signed MoUs with cities in the Netherlands through the international GSC3 smart city alliance: Adelaide, Canberra, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Sydney, Ipswich and Sunshine Coast.

During his visit to the Netherlands, the minister was also updated on the Dutch Smart City Strategy which was presented to Prime Minister Mark Rutte on January the 25th in The Hague. The chairman of GSC3 also met Assistant Minister Taylor and presented a Dutch perspective on the importance of the Australian Dutch smart city collaboration.

In March, a small smart city delegation from the Netherlands will be back in Australia to follow up on the meetings they had last year and in May a larger delegation will be back as the Netherlands is planning to participate with a smart city pavilion at the National Australian Smart City Conference in Adelaide.


Consular Affairs


Time for a passport renewal?

On a yearly basis the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Bondi Junction accepts over 5.000 passport and visa applications. The Consulate-General is the only place in Australia where you can renew your passport. Since our staff would like to help everyone coming from all over Australia as efficiently as possible, you will have to make an appointment using this link.

The passport application will be sent to the Netherlands for further processing and printing. This process takes about 4 weeks. In case of urgency, this process can be shortened to 2 weeks at an additional cost of approximately 71.40 AUD depending on currency rates.

The new passport for adults has a validity of ten years. The passport for minors (under 18) still has a validity of five years.

Only have Dutch citizenship? Please bring your proof of valid stay in Australia

Nowadays, the Australian Department of Immigration of Border Protection does not provide visa labels in passports anymore. However, for a Dutch passport renewal you have to bring proof of valid stay in Australia, a so called VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). You can obtain a (free) VEVO by going to https://www.border.gov.au/Busi/Visa or call 131881. You need your current passport number and visa grant number as provided by the Australian immigration.

Possible loss of Dutch citizenship?

Under the current Nationality Act (1 April 2003) an adult who voluntarily acquires the Australian nationality will lose his/her Dutch nationality except in the following cases:

  • If you were born in Australia;
  • If you, before you turned 18, lived in Australia for an uninterrupted period of five years; or
  • If you are married to a person who possesses the Australian nationality.

If you have acquired the Australian nationality after obtaining your last passport consular staff will request additional documentation to prove you belong to one of the above categories. Please check this link if you belong to one of these categories.

For further information please check the website.


Short news

à BLOC Bicycle Beer

Dutch cycling beer brand à BLOC Bicycle Beer, which was part of the trade mission to Australia last November, has launched its à BLOC Superprestige beer in Australia during the Tour Down Under in Adelaide!

The launch included a number of events, led by the Car Park Party in Adelaide CBD on the 21st of January where around 5,000 guests celebrated at the finish line with a cold à BLOC craft beer. This craft beer with added Alpine Minerals underlines that performance is of more value when shared with friends.

à BLOC Australia has teamed up with local craft beer experts Cavalier Brewing to produce the beer domestically. The craft beer will be distributed through a number of partners and will be available in bars and stores in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, as well as online. Other cities will follow soon with plans to have 150 points of sale in Australia by the end of 2017.

Read more here.

 

 

AIWW Conference - Call for solutions!

The Amsterdam International Water Week conference 'Water….and nine billion people’ focuses on the transition to a circular and resilient water environment in high density living areas. To achieve real breakthroughs on this subject, the AIWW conference invites cities, industries, regions, countries, partnerships, institutions, to submit real life case studies.

The conference also calls on experts to submit their solutions, insights, innovations and best practices. Concrete, real life water case studies and case study owners will be matched with international experts and solutions. The AIWW conference aims for a series of agreements where case study owners, and – for example - experts, suppliers, investors, pledge to continue their work until they reach the goals that they have set.

The complete call for case studies and solutions is available here.  Abstracts of case studies and solutions can be submitted starting February 2017. Deadline for submission is March 31st 2017. Notice of acceptance will be May 30th 2017.

 

Dutch trains run on wind energy

Since the 1st of January 2017, all electric train rides in the Netherlands are entirely powered by clean, renewable wind energy! In 2015, Dutch railway companies teamed up with energy company Eneco to cut train ride emissions. The original goal for changing to 100% renewable energy was set for 2018 but after having reached 75% in 2016, the entire transmission was completed a year ahead of schedule.

The NS alone transports 600,000 people per day, for which it needs 1.2 billion kWh of electricity a year. For comparison, this equals the electricity consumption of all households of the Dutch capital Amsterdam. It is a major step in reducing the carbon footprint of the Netherlands' transport sector.

Read more here.

 

Bestseller ‘Power Food’ is now available in Australia!

Rens Kroes has always loved food, cooking and creating healthy recipes. Four years ago, she turned this hobby into her work. She wrote her first cookbook ‘Power Food’ which sold over 170,000 copies in the Netherlands! She has written two more cookbooks since, which both shot to the top of the Top-60 Bestsellers list.

Last year, Rens Kroes visited Australia and had lunch in Bondi Beach with Consul-General Willem Cosijn and Trade Officer Nicoline van Cann.

Now, ‘Power Food’ is available in English and launched in Australia! It contains recipes for on-the-go breakfasts, simple salads and pasta dishes, and healthy takes on sinful sweets. It features nutritional information, including what to eat for beauty benefits such as shiny hair or radiant skin. Rens Kroes shares her scrumptious Power Food recipes for leading a happy and balanced life!

Olaf & Kerstens exhibition at the SASA Gallery in Adelaide

The Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is proud to present Dutch Masters of Light, an exhibition which brings the famous Dutch light to life through contemporary portraits. Inspired by the great Renaissance tradition of manipulating light and shade, Dutch Masters of Light reinterprets the style of celebrated Dutch artists including Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer in a striking series of portraits by contemporary photographers, Hendrik Kerstens and Erwin Olaf.

This exhibition is part of the Fringe Festival in Adelaide and it opens this Friday, the 17th of February, in the SASA Gallery (South Australian School of Art Gallery) in Adelaide and ends the 17th of March.

Read more here.

 

KTO Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) Verzetsdeelnemers & Oorlogsgetroffenen

At the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Sydney the Pensions & War Benefits Officer takes great care in implementing the V&O law and looking after the clients.

The customer satisfaction survey of SVB Members of the resistance and Victims of war home 2016 shows great results. Customers score the service provision an 8.4! On top of that, 95% indicates to be satisfied or very satisfied.

 

 

 

 

 

Love Stories opens shop in Bondi Beach

Love Stories, Amsterdam Intimates opened their boutique in Bondi beach! From Amsterdam with love, this beautiful Dutch brand presents a wide range of female underwear, outerwear and accessories. You can find the boutique on 157 Curlewis St (shop 5, entrance on Gould St).

 

 

Mardi Gras Parade 2017

This year, the Dutch diplomatic missions in Australia will be participating again in the Sydney Mardi Gras parade! They will be joined by a group of seventy enthusiastic Dutch and Australian volunteers. The Sydney Mardi Gras parade is the greatest LGBTQI event of Australia and attracts hundreds of thousands spectators; it takes place on Saturday the 4th of March.

 

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