The BGA Australia team, led by Managing Director Michael “Mick” McNeill, wrote an update to clients on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the United States.

Context

  • Albanese’s October 23-26 visit to Washington, D.C., has sent strong signals encouraging private sector collaboration with the Australian and U.S. governments. Washington sees Canberra as a reliable supply chain partner in areas such as critical minerals, clean energy, cyber and emerging technologies as both countries respond to strategic challenges.
  • The United States and Australia are working to protect critical technology and streamline defense information and technology cooperation, including through the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) trilateral security partnership. During his visit, Albanese declared clean energy and climate change the third pillar of the Australia-U.S. alliance alongside the security and economic pillars.

Significance

  • The Export-Import Bank of the United States and Export Finance Australia are collaborating to promote the growth of reliable and secure critical minerals supply chains, including through a single point of entry for projects involving Australian or U.S. interests. Albanese said Australia has “shovel-ready projects that are ripe for investment,” noting the country is the world’s largest supplier of lithium, the fourth largest of cobalt and the third largest of rare earths.
  • Australia and the United States are looking to partner with the private sector and Pacific Island countries to improve banking standards and explore a pilot initiative on increasing national cyber resilience. The pilot could help protect and back up government data by upgrading data services, including through the implementation of cloud-based solutions to store government records.

Implications

  • Businesses should note the opportunity to advise the government on clean energy industry development and cooperation through the planned Australia-U.S. Clean Energy Industry Council. The United States and Australia intend to issue a memorandum of understanding to co-locate a U.S. energy attaché with Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water.
  • The United States and Australia intend to sign a technology safeguards agreement on October 26 that could create new space-related commercial opportunities. The agreement provides the legal and technical framework for U.S. commercial space launch vehicles to lift off from Australia.

We will continue to keep you updated on developments in Australia as they occur. If you have any questions or comments, please contact BGA Australia Managing Director Michael “Mick” McNeill at mmcneill@bowergroupasia.com.

Best regards,

BGA Australia Team

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Managing Director

Mick is a highly-experienced government relations expert and trusted advisor on consensus building, conflict resolution and legislative developments. He has played an integral role in helping parties achieve desired outcomes in areas of national security, health policy, foreign policy and reputational crisis management, as well as media relations, communications campaigns, immigration and human rights. Mick has two decades’ experience working with government as a media analyst, political adviser and NGO advocacy manager. After a stint serving as an adviser to an Australian senator, Mick took on the role of the locally engaged senior political specialist at the U.S. Embassy in ... Read More