On the 14th of October we visited the Dutch consulate situated in Sydney, Australia. The Dutch consulate is part of the representation of the Netherlands in Australia, together with the Embassy in Canberra. During the excursion, we were welcomed by the Consult-General together with a few of his colleagues. The tasks of the consulate and the important topics for the Netherlands in Australia were discussed.
The Dutch consulate in Sydney has two main focus points. These include trading investment between Netherlands and Sydney, but also consular service. By trading investment, the goal is to facilitate business of Dutch companies in Australia by enhancing joint ventures or other collaborations between Dutch and Australian businesses. It was explained that the other tasks of the Dutch representation were carried out by the Dutch embassy in Canberra, which include political relations, culture and the economical security.
The Consult-General explained that Australia has a traditional economy, which is mainly based on raw materials and fossil fuels. There is a large industry of extracting these resources and shipping this to other parts of the world. However, the focus on creating a more circular economy is arising in Australia and this is attractive for Dutch knowledge-based businesses, also in the construction sector. It was explained that the circular economy is a term used to refer to sustainability, due to the political controversy of sustainability itself. Still, the importance of sustainability in Australia is increasing, mainly due to the effects of climate change which are manifesting themselves like increasing risk of bushfires and flooding.
Renewable energy was also discussed as one of the main focus points for the Dutch consulate in terms of trading investments. Australia has the potential to become a large producer of renewable energy. This is the case for green hydrogen, wind energy and solar energy. The reason for this is the large space available to generate energy, good wind conditions for windmills and the logistical infrastructure which is already present. Several Dutch consultancies (like Arcadis and Royal HaskoningDHV) are operating on the renewable energy market in Australia, especially for green hydrogen and offshore wind projects.
Another important topic which was discussed is the trading of critical minerals of Australia, and its importance for the Dutch economy. Critical minerals are for example copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt. These minerals are for example important for the transition towards a zero emissions energy sector since they are necessary for the production of batteries. By connecting Dutch (or European) investors with critical minerals’ miners, the Dutch consulate is trying to secure a supply of these minerals towards the European Union and the Netherlands.
In general, the visit at the consulate gave us students important insights on a larger scale what topics are important for the Dutch (construction) business in Australia and which opportunities are focused on. After an introduction of the consulate itself and its operations, a nice discussion (about the topics discussed above) between members of the consulate and the students was formed. The visit ended with a nice photo together with the Consult-General. Students were also grateful to receive a nice pin of the Dutch and Australian flag together.