The FINANCIAL — I immigrated to Australia in 1988 and took citizenship two years later. Moving from Europe where I held a senior advisory position with the Flemish Federation of Industries in Belgium, the decision to move to a land “ down under” was difficult.
Europe had a vibrant economy, a mosaic of cultures, traditions and a galaxy of languages which were all totally absorbing and exciting. Australia, on the other hand, was a young nation built by immigrants from Ireland and England and later populated by a multicultural stream which flowed into the country from every corner of the world: from Europe, Greece, Asia and China. And the end of the Vietnam War, it included large number of Vietnamese, dubbed the boat people, taking all the risks of the high seas and landing in Australia as refugees.
Australia is a multi-cultural country, with one foot in the Asia Pacific region and the other foot in the United Kingdom, with the Queen still being the symbolic head of State. Some years ago, it embarked on a referendum to make Australia a Republic and de-link from the Queen and her empire, but majority of Australians rejected the Republic move and voted to maintain the traditional belonging to the Queen and her throne. There is still a great deal of attachment to Britain and Australia prides itself of being probably the most significant member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Australia has always been spoken of as the “ lucky country” which some 25 years ago, decided to become a “ clever country”, transforming its mineral resources and its people to develop a highly robust and sustainable nation. With a small population of 22.5 million people and a birth rate of 1.5%, Australia still maintains an active immigration policy which allows skilled migrants, entrepreneurs and close relatives to take residence in Australia, become citizens in a short period of time and integrate with the rest of the society.
Until some 30 years ago, Australia had a different face. It was resistant to multiculturalism and social integration. The Greeks and Italians who came in large numbers to Australia were singled out for discretionary treatment by the Anglo Saxon immigrants from Britain and Ireland, while the native aborigines were kept at the periphery of politics, economy and social integration. And the tumultuous history of immigration which created modern Australia where native aborigine population was pushed out of their sacred habitats to make room for large farming and cattle industry was not to be discussed or written about.
Jorge Smolicz, a Polish-born professor of sociology at the University of Adelaide in South Australia wrote the first book on Multiculturalism and Plurality, a defining work which provided the initial triggers for a new thinking on the benefits of multiculturalism in a land which frowned upon that concept. Later came people like Roberta Sykes, the first aborigine who graduated with a doctorate from Harvard, who articulated the need for an open society and recognition of the aborigines as an integral part of the young nation.
Quietly, but steadily, Australia began to adapt, change and formulate a number of policy and legal initiatives which have metamorphosed Australia as a young, vibrant, accommodative and a fair nation making it a dream destination for migrants from all parts of the world. And what is staggering to any observer is the speed of transformation of this nation from a largely agriculture and animal-husbandry resources economy to a multi-billion dollar empire of mineral resources, information technology, health care, education, research and development and a multitude of other industries. At the heart of Australia’s transformation into a major economic force is the number of institutions of excellence it has nurtured across all areas of human endeavour and its public service which is ranked as one of the most efficient in the world.
With its vast mineral, agricultural, and ocean resources, Australia does have a fire-wall against financial and economic crises in other countries. Current financial crisis in the euro zone or the slowdown in the global economy seems to have had little negative effect on the Australian economy which is still vibrant and strong. Despite its strength, the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the interest rate by 25 basis points a few days ago and may cut by a further 25 basis points before the end of the year, signalling to the business community that there is need for more dynamic growth and creation of jobs. What is fascinating is that Australia continues to absorb some 110,000 skilled migrants and a further 60,000 sponsored immigrants each year under various category and still holds the unemployment rate around 5 per cent.
Australia boasts of a very high quality of life, with over 80 per cent of the population being house owners, speed and efficiency of public service, law and order where public expenditure amounts to over 16,000 Australian dollars per head of population, an enlightened environmental protection program, highways and roads, a comprehensive transportation system across the whole country and an admirable sense of security offered by one of the very top policing system anywhere in the world.
Australians have got their house in order and in top gear. Fuelled by their economic stability and growth, they are going global with investments, technology and inventions. From the days of the “lucky country”, Australia has indeed become a clever country.
Australians are however notably absent from the new emerging countries like Georgia, mainly on account of their focus on the traditional pathways to Britain, Europe , Asia and the United States. In my discussions this week with some of my senior associates here in Australia who are bankers and business professionals, I found that most have little information on Georgia or any other country in the Caucuses region. By the Australian Foreign Ministry count, there are no more than 65 Australians living in Georgia, most of whom with the oil majors like BP.
Australia has developed total expertise and capacities in agro industry, mining, tourism, education, information technology, manufacturing and a number of key industries. It has not only rich experience in making things work, but also has a multicultural population able to adapt to different cultures and business environments. It is in fact a treasure trove of investment capacity which can be readily tapped by small, medium and large companies in Georgia.
The decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia to open a diplomatic post in Australia is a very timely decision. It would well be served if the Georgian embassy in Canberra is geared to tap the vast investment potential from Australia which can contribute substantially to Georgia’s growth. Australians are, by and large, world class professionals with capacity to deliver and Georgia will do well to attract them .
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