There are significant opportunities for Dutch firms to invest in Victoria, building on the close ties that already exist between the two economies.
That was one of the themes emanating from the recent Australia and the Netherlands: a prosperous partnership event, hosted by the Committee for Economic Development Australia (CEDA).
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, kicked off the event, speaking warmly of the relationship between Australia and the Netherlands and the importance of cooperation and innovation to meet the challenges of climate change.
Culturally and economically, Australia and the Netherlands are very similar. For climate change, we must be innovative on sustainability and part of that is about transitioning to a circular economy.
Mark Rutte
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Invest Victoria, talked about the opportunities presented by the circular economy for Dutch firms to invest in Australia and Victoria, and access the Asian markets.
There are great opportunities for Dutch organisations and firms to invest in Australia to leverage our Free Trade Agreements within the Asia Pacific region.
Chris Barrett
Chief Executive Officer of Invest Victoria
Victoria is home to a number of successful and innovative Dutch businesses, including KPMG, New Cold, Rabobank, Randstad, Royal Dutch Shell and Slimstock Logistics Solutions.
The strong Dutch-Victoria partnership also extends to the area of defence - the world-class protected mobility vehicle, the Bushmaster, is built in Victoria and used by the Dutch Defence Force.
As Australia’s leading food-producing state, there are many opportunities for Dutch and Victorian research institutions and businesses to come together to build a resilient, sustainable, highly productive and technologically enabled agrifood sector.
If you are a Dutch company looking to invest in Melbourne, get in contact with our London or Frankfurt office.
From left: Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Netherlands, Professor Philomena Murray, University of Melbourne, Melinda Cilento, CEDA Chief Executive Officer, and Chris Barrett, Chief Executive Officer, Invest Victoria.
