After spending the beginning of last week in Indonesia and New Zealand, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, made his way to Australia and spent three days here.

The highlights of the trip include Prime Minister Rutte meeting with Governor General David Hurley at Admiralty House and later with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday, 9 October. The meeting with Prime Minister Morrison at Kirribilli House was followed by a joint media conference where both prime ministers talked about the international collaboration on MH17 and strengthening the trade and investment relationship, and opportunities for closer international cooperation. Later that day, Prime Minister Rutte visited the State Library of New South Wales where he was able to closely observe the original Tasman Map, one of the State Library’s most valued possessions.

On Thursday Prime Minister Rutte spoke to CEOs of Dutch companies in Australia as well as Australian companies considering investing in the Netherlands. These fruitful conversations with both Australian and Dutch companies can further strengthen the economic relationship between Australia and the Netherlands. As the day continued, Prime Minister Rutte participated in a discussion hosted by think tank the Lowy Institute where he gave a speech about the importance of the international rules-based order. After meeting with NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian, the Prime Minister continued the afternoon with a visit to the National Herbarium of NSW in the Royal Botanic Gardens. There he was shown the 1.4 million herbarium plant specimens collection of the Herbarium by NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon Rob Stokes, which is currently being digitised by Dutch company Picturae, making the collection available for researchers worldwide. Prime Minister Rutte also joined Australian guests, who have been on study tours to the Netherlands in recent years, on a boat trip on Sydney Harbour.

On his final day, the Prime Minister was in Melbourne. He gave a keynote speech at a breakfast organised by the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). He underlined the common global challenges that the Netherlands and Australia are facing, and how we can answer to these challenges through joint international cooperation, innovation and sustainability. The morning continued with Prime Minister Rutte visiting a Circular Economy Forum, where he was joined by the Hon Lily d’Ambrosio, Victorian Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change. In his speech, Prime Minister Rutte underlined that the transition to a circular economy in the Netherlands has already involved some 420,000 jobs and added seven billion euros to the Dutch economy. Afterwards, the PM and Minister d'Ambrosio attended the signing of an MoU with Director of Holland Circular Hotspot, Freek van Eijk, and Planet Ark's Paul Klymenko on long-term cooperation between Australia's National Circular Economy Hub (NCEH), an initiative by Planet Ark, and Holland Circular Hotspot.

The day continued with a meeting with Victorian premier Daniel Andrews at the Metro Tunnel project site, co-designed by Dutch company Arcadis, in North Melbourne. The Prime Minister and the premier were shown around the site and even underground, where the tunnels are currently being dug. Afterwards, Prime Minister Rutte paid a visit to the Melbourne International Games Week to discuss the use of serious gaming in various sectors like health and life sciences. Finally, the day was concluded with a visit to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the Prime Minister met with the Dutch community in Melbourne.

The official opening of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) office in Sydney, co-located in our Consulate General in Bondi Junction, took place last week.

The ribbon cutting to mark this occassion included (from left to right) NFIA's Country Manager - Singapore and Australia, Adeline Tan, NFIA Commissioner, Jeroen Nijland, Consul-General of the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Sydney, Frank van Beuningen, and NFIA Australia Project Manager at NFIA/ Economic Officer at the Consulate General of the Netherlands, Alexandra Gauer.

NFIA stands ready to help when it comes to Australian businesses interested in investing in the Netherlands.

Supported by the NFIA global footprint and network of Invest in Holland partners, NFIA provides free, confidential assistance to streamline every facet of your business expansion or company relocation project.

NFIA looks forward to hearing from other Australian businesses looking for a presence in Europe and to #InvestinHolland.

T: +61 2 8305 6807

E: syd-ez@minbuza.nl