Victoria's newly appointed Commissioner to Southeast Asia, Naïla Mazzucco, outlines her strategic vision for the state's economic and cultural engagement with the region. Her long-term goals include diversifying trade, investment, and education partnerships, expanding into new markets, and fostering sustainable collaborations.
A key objective is targeting specific sectors such as technology, food and fibre, health and life sciences, education and skills, and the green economy. Additionally, Naïla aims to showcase Victoria's innovation and capabilities to Southeast Asian investors, particularly in areas such as decarbonisation, technologies, and health and life sciences.
Promoting Victoria's education offerings to Southeast Asian students is another priority. This includes highlighting research opportunities and scholarships while also leveraging the state's strong alumni network in the region to foster deeper economic and cultural linkages.
To strengthen government-to-government relationships, Naïla will focus on exchanging cultural and economic perspectives and plans to showcase Victoria's culture and innovations through collaborations in sustainability, creative industries, and tourism.
A vision for Victoria's future economic relationship with Southeast Asia
The Commissioner's vision for Victoria's economic relationship with Southeast Asia extends beyond the immediate term. She envisions a further diversified and strengthened partnership across trade, education, and investment, encompassing a wider range of markets, sectors, and businesses.
For Singapore: enhance trade and investment collaboration in technology, food and wine, finance, life sciences and innovation. Leveraging Singapore's regional role as a hub, Victoria can increase its visibility and access to broader Southeast Asian markets.
For Malaysia: deepen ties in agribusiness, education, and technology. By promoting Victoria's expertise in these sectors, she aims to explore commercial partnerships, and technology transfer, and sustain Victoria's strong market position.
For Vietnam: boost partnerships in education, health & consumer, and the green economy. By capitalising on Vietnam's rapid economic growth, Victoria can increase its export opportunities and investment.
Naïla recognises the potential to expand Victoria's connections in markets where it currently lacks a physical presence, such as Brunei, Timor Leste and Cambodia, while also prioritising strengthened engagement with Thailand and the Philippines. By pursuing these strategic objectives, Victoria can solidify its position as a preferred partner for Southeast Asian countries, fostering sustainable economic growth and cultural exchange.
Long-term goals for Victoria's Southeast Asia engagement
The Commissioner's long-term goals for Victoria's engagement with Southeast Asia are far-reaching. Naïla aims to elevate existing bilateral relationships and deepen Victoria's presence in markets where it currently has a limited presence.
Key objectives include:
- Attracting productive foreign investment from Southeast Asia to Victoria, focusing on high-growth sectors such as renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and technology.
- Establishing Victoria's brand in emerging Southeast Asian markets, including Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, and Brunei, to create new trade and investment opportunities.
- Building enduring educational and research collaborations that strengthen Victoria's global reputation and foster knowledge exchange.
Through these efforts, Naïla and her team aim to deliver impactful and sustainable collaborations that contribute to Victoria's economic growth and prosperity.
