Page 4102 - Week 12 - Thursday, 1 December 2022
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flights repatriated Australians, including Canberrans, and also delivered vital vaccines to Australia and to Canberra.
Our discussions covered many subjects, ranging from the response to COVID-19, to the restoration of flights between Singapore and Canberra, food security and supply chain issues, climate change and sustainability, and skills shortages. We also discussed the future of transport, including the use of hydrogen and electric vehicles and the provision of environmentally friendly public transport and the phasing-out of internal combustion engines.
My discussions with Minister Rajah focused on the Australia-Singapore relationship, the provision of infrastructure, sustainability and climate change, managing native fauna within a civic context, and the expansion of the partnership between the Singapore National Botanic Gardens and Canberra’s National Arboretum.
Whilst in Singapore, I was pleased to be able to witness an export breakthrough for a Canberra firm, AgriGate Global, which signed a contract with Quality Meat Singapore. AgriGate has been working for close to a decade to facilitate exports of primary produce into Asia. This contract provides for the delivery of meat to Singapore for processing into cuts appropriate to the region’s cooking style and cuisine. We were hosted on a tour of the boning plant, and it was great to hear about the potential that this arrangement brings to both partners. I wish both firms well, and look forward to further announcements from AgriGate.
I was also pleased to celebrate Canberra tech firm archTIS signing new contracts with Singapore business i-Sprint. archTIS specialises in information security software, particularly for cooperation with and between government. i-Sprint provides a distribution and supply and support network into Singapore and into the wider ASEAN market. The Deputy Director-General of Economic Development and the Commissioner for International Engagement also met with i-Sprint to discuss further opportunities for cooperation.
Space was another focus area for the trade mission, following up on leads generated by a successful online space industry forum in 2021. During this mission senior ACT government officials met with Singapore Space and Technology Limited, and we look forward to closer cooperation in the future.
As we emerge from the pandemic, re-establishing Canberra as a globally connected city is a priority. Aviation connectivity provides focus and opportunity to realise a range of benefits for Canberra across trade, tourism, business, education and investment. So it was a pleasure to catch up again with the CEO of Singapore Airlines, Mr Goh, about re-establishing a direct connection between Canberra and Singapore. Connection through a global hub like Singapore clearly provides access to an extensive global aviation network through Asia, the subcontinent, the Middle East and Europe.
Importantly, the work that was done across all aspects of the mission helped to demonstrate commitment to the Singapore market and the growing demand for activity that will support two-way flows of passengers between Singapore and Canberra. To this end, I met with the CEO of the Singapore Tourism Board, Mr Tan.
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