ALABC Newsletters

Under the Global Talent Program, highly skilled Latin Americans have made Australia their home, and are advancing their careers and supporting critical Australian business sectors. While the closure of our international borders has been critical to our success in slowing the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Home Affairs is prioritising the processing of visas under the Global Talent Program.   

Launched in November 2019, the Global Talent Program offers a streamlined, priority visa pathway for highly skilled and talented individuals to work and live permanently in Australia. Target sectors include: AgTech; Space and Advanced Manufacturing; FinTech; Energy and Mining Technology; MedTech; Cyber Security; and Quantum Information, Advanced Digital, Data Science and ICT.   

Juan Reyes Lega and Margarita Torres are internationally recognised entrepreneurs, and were recently granted visas to live and work in Australia.   

“We feel very honoured for being part of the Global Talent program. It has been a great achievement for our company and for our personal careers as well. Our aim is to continue producing creative and unique digital content while supporting the development Australian digital games ecosystem. This will be possible thanks to the Global Talent program which was incredibly fast and whose officers were extremely supportive during our application process.” - Juan Reyes Lega and Margarita Torres, Colombia.   

To support interested businesses and candidates, the Department also has a dedicated Global Talent Officer for the Americas region.   

The Global Talent Program is available to those who are offshore and seeking migration to Australia, as well as many of those who are already onshore and are enthusiastic about continuing their stay in Australia to further grow their industry experience here. Successful candidates can bring their immediate family with them. There are also no State or Territory planning levels, and no age limit.   

Candidates should have the ability to attract a salary at or above the Fair Work Commission’s high income threshold, which is currently AUD153,600. This includes current work, employment offers and Australian labour market research. Candidates’ talent credentials will need to be proven via a simple nomination process. Standard health, character and security checks also apply.   

For more information, interested businesses and candidates can contact the Global Talent Officer for the Americas region. Once candidates are ready to formally test their eligibility, they should submit an Expression of Interest via the Department’s website.

According to PwC’s Mine 2020 report (covering the top 40 global miners by market capitalisation) released in June, in some respects, the mining sector is well-situated to recover from the impact of COVID-19. For example, despite uncertainty regarding Brazil’s ability to continue mining in some areas, iron ore prices have risen, potentially limiting the total impact on the sector. Disruption in mining operations has also occurred in Chile and Peru. However, mining companies in general have strong finances and are mostly still operational, albeit with increased levels of precautionary controls.

The pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of the approach of driving down the cost of mining, (as has a focus on hyper-efficiency, lean principles and just-in-time techniques). At least for their most critical supply chains, companies may need to consider an alternative approach: improved inventory management combined with globally diversified or locally sourced and financially viable resources. This would not only de-risk mining companies against a similarly disruptive event but also help develop and build resilience in local communities. Many are already doing it; Anglo American, and BHP, among others, have announced initiatives to increase support for their domestic suppliers as a result of the pandemic.

Read PwC’s Mine 2020 report at:

https://www.pwc.com.au/industry/mining/pwc-mine-2020.pdf

Since the first releases of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes in Queensland, Australia in 2011, the World Mosquito Program (WMP) has been working to implement its method to eliminate mosquito-borne diseases in places at risk all over the world. 

A major arm of the operation is situated in the Americas – with active projects running in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. While the global pandemic has temporarily delayed the opening of WMP’s third hub-office in Panama, projects in these three countries remain key pillars for the organisation’s ambitions to protect 100 million people globally within the next five years. “We remain committed to sustainable growth – plain and simple,” says WMP Regional Director Janina Khayali. “If we succeed with national roll out in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico alone, we will have achieved the Americas portion of this goal, but our eyes are always on the horizon to achieve far beyond that.” WMP began working in Brazil in 2012. In Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes have been released in an area covering a population of around 1.3 million people. While data from the releases continues to be analyzed, plans are ramping up to roll out projects in Belo Horizonte and Campo Grande. In Colombia, releases have taken place in Bello and Medellin, protecting over 2.5 million people. The cities of Cali and other municipalities within the Valle de Cauca are next in line. While in Mexico, the project will re-establish  city-wide releases across La Paz later this year with national roll-out in motion.  

The program paused releases of mosquitoes in communities due to the pandemic in order to help keep staff and communities safe. With a growing body of evidence to support the success of the method, the focus for the program has shifted to the question of how to scale – how it can protect as many people as possible quickly, efficiently and cost effectively. The recent spread of the novel CoronaVirus together with alarming numbers of dengue cases have provided a grim reminder of the impossible task of controlling multiple outbreaks simultaneously.  

Progress is positive in the three countries mentioned above, but there are plenty of other countries, cities and communities in which diseases spread by Aedes aegypti is a common and debilitating threat. Khayali names Peru, Paraguay, El Salvador and the Virgin Islands as places where discussions have begun. But as long as diseases like dengue, Mayaro Zika and chikungunya continue to surface, there will be keen interest in getting things rolling across the entire continent. “Our model is designed to build the capacity in communities so they can protect themselves from mosquito-borne disease. This requires building trust and developing strong relationships across the region. If we can achieve this, we’ll be one step closer to a world free from the devastating health and economic burdens these diseases continue to inflict.” The World Mosquito program is very interested in building strong partnership and building support for its work so more people can be protected. 

If you are interested in learning more or supporting the World  Mosquito Program’s work please contact Enrica Longo, Director External Relations.  

Enrica works with the global team from Vietnam.   

enrica.longo@worldmosquito.org 

+84 901859466

Panama, centrally located between North America and South America, offers the ideal environment to make your business grow stronger due to its political and economic  stability, besides other advantages, such as the multimodal logistics platform and great air and sea connectivity. The Panama Canal, ports and air hub, the financial district with more than 70 banks, Colon Free Trade Zone, the second largest in the world, allow connection to be made with a market of more than 600 million users in Latin America and the Caribbean.     

The Embassy of Panama in Australia and Pro Panama invites businesspeople to attend Panama’s first virtual, multi-sectorial, international trade exhibition. This virtual exhibition will provide a chance to see the products and services that participating companies have to offer in the areas of: ·       

Coffee – Cocoa - Chocolate      

Fresh Products      

Seafood – Aquaculture - Meat Products      

Agro-Industrial Products  

Industrial Products      

Creative Industries      

Services   

Over the five days, there will be two conferences held per day with the first beginning at 9:00 am GMT –5 and the second at 2:00 pm GMT -5. 

Benefits for visitors 

 1.  Without complex registration processes. 

 2.  Secure and immediate access. 

 3.  Compatible with all mobile devices. 

 4.  Availability 24 hours. 

 5.  No congestion, no lines.

6.  No visual or auditory contamination. 

ExpoVirtual is a virtual international business platform that will help us to improve trade and the economic development of Panama, the region and the world. Join us at the 1st ExpoVirtual and take advantage of all the great business opportunities that it will provide.   

The schedule of conferences is as follows: 

Monday 6th 

The competitiveness of export SMEs in the new business context. Hosted by Diego Frediani – General Manager, Red Globlal de Exportaciones How to do business with Canada? Hosted by Marysabel González – Project Manager, Latin America and the Caribbean / Trade Support Services TFO – Canada. 

Tuesday 7th 

How to do business with Australia?

Hosted by Marcelo Salas – Chief Executive Officer, Australia-Latin America Business Council (ALABC). How to do business with Israel (FTA)? Hosted by Salvador Aviad Cattan – Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Panama – Israel; Roberto Spindel – President Israel - Latin American Chamber of Commerce. 

Wednesday 8th Technology:   

Blockchain   for exporting  business.    

Hosted by David Proenza – CEO de Foodchain. E-commerce to boost your business exports. Hosted by Raquel García – Assistant Vice President of E-commerce – Credicorp Bank, CAPATEC’s President. 

Thursday 9th: 

Market value chains and its benefits. Hosted by Eduardo Espinoza – Director of the Centre for Studies on Economic Integration – SIECA. The new productivity, a decision not an option for the export sector. Hosted by Alex Atencio – CEO of iaConcepts. 

Friday 10th: 

Creative Industries, an alternative for development. Hosted by Leda Peralta – Economic Affairs Officer (ECLAC). The fashion industry as a development motor. Hosted by Samantha Tams – Co-founder Latam Fashion Summit – LAFS. 

People, who are interested in attending, can use this link to register: 

expovirtualpropanama.com 

 or 

contact our diplomatic mission in Canberra:   

Mail: embpanamaaustralia@mire.gob.pa 

Phone: +61 61346737 

 Address : Suite 2, level 2, 99 Northbourne Avenue, Turner, ACT 2612, Canberra, Australia. 

Social Media: @embpanamaaustralia 

Web: https://mire.gob.pa/ministerio/australia/

PDF Annual Report 2020.pdf

On May 13, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted the online webinar “Innovation and Technology in Latin America’s Post-Pandemic Recovery” with the participation of Carmen Pagés-Serra, Chief of the Labor Markets and Social Security Unit at the Inter-American Development Bank, Andrés Cadena, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Co., Ángel Melguizo, Vice President, External & Regulatory Affairs at AT&T DirecTV Latin America, and Victor Muñoz, National Innovation and Digital Transformation Advisor at the Colombian Presidency. The session was moderated by Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue.

Muñoz began by emphasizing the necessity and importance of telework, telemedicine, and tele-education. While the present situation has forced many companies to quickly adjust in order to survive, the resulting shift to digital platforms also provides access to new forms of learning for people all over the world. As an advisor to the Colombian president, Muñoz and his team have been working on a digital transformation strategy for the last two years, including the creation of a center in Medellín focused on artificial intelligence. With the pandemic, new instruments have emerged from his department such as the “Coronapp” which allows citizens to receive daily information from the government without consuming data. Muñoz identified Colombia’s main challenge to be connectivity, and he intends to work to increase access in vulnerable areas in the next two years. He ended his remarks on a hopeful tone: while the job market will be very different after the pandemic, it will also present an opportunity to reinvent a new world supported by technology and innovation.

Mauricio Montalvo is currently the Ambassador of Ecuador to Australia.

Ambassador Montalvo is a senior career diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  He entered to the Ecuadorian Foreign Service as Third Secretary in 1982 and continued his career in different posts locally and oversees.  He was promoted to the rank of Ambassador in 2005.

He has served overseas as Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva (2006-2011), Deputy Head of Mission at the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO in Paris (1996-2001), First Secretary at the Permanent Mission to United Nations in New York (1990-1992) and Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission to OAS in Washington DC (1987-1989).

At the Ministry, he was most recently Under-Secretary for International Cooperation (2018-2019), Under-Secretary for Multilateral Affairs (2011-2014) and Under-Secretary for International Organizations (2005-2006).  Previously and during several years he served as Coordinator, Director General, Spokesperson and Diplomatic Officer.

International students will receive a relief payment of up to $1,100 as part of a Victorian Government emergency support package that will help tens of thousands of people across our state.

International students are a vital part of our education system, our economy and our community. They give so much to Victoria – not just through the fees they pay, but also through the economic activity they generate for our businesses, and the contribution they make to our vibrant, inclusive society.

Like so many people during this pandemic, international students have been affected by casual job losses in retail and hospitality, making it even tougher for them to make ends meet. Many have also fallen through the cracks of Federal Government programs – unable to access the support they need to support themselves.

To ensure Victoria’s international students can buy the basics and get through to the other side of the crisis, the Victorian Government will establish a $45 million International Student Emergency Relief Fund.

The fund will provide a one-off payment to students in need while expanding emergency provisions for those experiencing exceptional circumstances.

Up to 40,000 international students enrolled at Victorian universities, TAFEs, private vocational education and training providers and English language colleges who have lost wages and work due to the coronavirus pandemic could benefit from the relief payment, which covers demonstrated lost income up to $1,100.

The payments, which will require co-contributions from university hardship funds, build on existing Victorian Government support provided to international students through the Study Melbourne Student Centre such as free legal aid and mental health services.

More than 150,000 international students currently living in Victoria are also eligible for the Victorian Government’s rent relief program, including subsidies of up to $2,000, and those legally allowed to work in Victoria are eligible for the Working for Victoria initiative, which helps people who have lost their jobs to find new employment.

International education generated $12.6 billion revenue for Victoria last financial year, supporting around 79,000 jobs, with most students coming from China, India, Nepal, Malaysia and Vietnam.

For more information about the relief fund and other dedicated support, go to studymelbourne.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade Martin Pakula

“International students give so much to Victoria – it’s only fair we support them in their hour of need.”

“This virus doesn’t discriminate and neither do we – we are in this together and we will get through it together.” 

Quote attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino

“It’s important that we back the people who have made such a strong commitment to our state, and we will make sure that our education providers can emerge from the other side of this crisis in a position to quickly rebuild.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney

“We’ll continue to work closely with the sector to give international students the support they need so they can continue to focus on their studies.”

RELATED DOCUMENTS: 

200429-Emergency-Support-For-Victoria’s-International-Students.pdf

WEG announced the signature of a technology transfer agreement with LEISTUNG Equipamentos Ltda., Manufacturer of Medical-Hospital Equipment, to produce artificial ventilators that will be used by patients tested positive for COVID-19.

The contract, signed between the companies, grants WEG the license to produce the ventilator based on the mechanical ventilation device “Luft-3” from LEISTUNG.

WEG will use the current structure of its factories in Jaraguá do Sul, in the state of Santa Catarina, to produce ventilators and works with the possibility of adjusting the project to speed up production.The plan is to immediately purchase all required components in order to produce 500 ventilators. Once the production line is installed, WEG will have an estimated capacity to produce 50 ventilators per day and deliver in mid-May.

“We now depend on obtaining electronic and pneumatic components, many of which are imported and are currently in short supply in the market”, says Manfred Peter Johann, Managing Director of WEG Automation.

The implementation of the production line will follow all heath hygiene protocols and other protective measures recommended by health authorities for all industries.

RELATED LINKS: 

https://www.weg.net/institutional/US/en/news/products-and-solutions/weg-to-produce-artificial-ventilators-for-patients-tested-positive-for-covid-19

RELATED DOCUMENTS: 

WEG to produce ventilators1.pdf

http://coronavirus.apexbrasil.com.br/investidores/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social_apex&utm_campaign=coronavirus&utm_content=cv0008