Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Lombardy sister state relationship

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (22:08): (511) Tonight I want to raise a matter for the Minister for Economic Growth, Tim Pallas. It relates to the sister state relationship that Victoria has with Lombardy. The MOU signed last year is something that we welcomed strongly; in fact I was there at the launch. It is a significant link for Victoria. Lombardy is the strongest and most prosperous region in Italy, and I think it is a good thing that Victoria has signed such an agreement. There is an MOU and a number of areas for cooperation between the two subnational jurisdictions, between Victoria and Lombardy, which is very well positioned in terms of Europe. Brexit means we need strong representation and linkages into key parts of the European Union economy. I was fortunate enough to meet the Lombardy officials in Europe in July, and I note that there is a significant keenness to work with Victoria in line with the MOU.

I note that Lombardy is hosting the 2023 world summit on 23 and 24 November in Milan. It is a significant outing for that jurisdiction. I note the president of the region is opening the proceedings, and the undersecretary for international and European relations in the Lombardy region, Raffaele Cattaneo, is doing the formal introduction. Then there are significant groups from around the world who are presenting. To date it seems the one group that is not represented there is Victoria. With our sister state arrangements, we do need strong outreach. We need to build our business links with Europe. We need to build our links with Lombardy, which is the powerhouse region of Italy. We do need to strengthen those relationships. So what I am saying to Mr Pallas is: would you please ensure that there is significant representation, preferably a government minister, but if not a government minister a senior official or two?

A member interjected.

David DAVIS: Well, I have not said that. My purpose is to make sure that there is representation for Victoria at these significant events and that Victoria’s sister state relationship with Lombardy is maximised.

Georgie Crozier: Our reputation has been damaged.

David DAVIS: Well, it is true that our reputation has been damaged, but what I am asking today for the Treasurer to do is to ensure that there is proper representation of Victoria.