Victorian Alumni Reception in Kuala Lumpur

It is a pleasure to join you all this evening.

On occasions such as this, we tend to look back on the longstanding connection between our nations.

We might reflect on how Australian personnel served here during World War II and in the following decades as part of the Malayan Emergency.

We could discuss the enduring strength of our bilateral engagement – with this year marking the 70th anniversary of Australia’s diplomatic presence in Malaysia.

We could also speak of the depth of our people-to-people links that have grown across time.

This is particularly relevant for Victoria, given it is home to the largest Malaysian community in Australia – numbering over 60,000 Malaysian-born Victorians.

However, I would instead like to look ahead to our shared future.

Our relationship seems poised to create new opportunities for investment and collaboration, building on these historical connections.

As middle powers of a comparable size, not only do Australia and Malaysia both hold a stake in the prosperity of the broader region, we also share a commitment to the principles of democracy, cooperation and free trade.

I know Victoria and its institutions stand ready to seize the opportunities on the horizon.

This requires us to be outward-looking, to be open to finding new ways of deepening ties and exchanging knowledge.

Yet this does not happen by chance – it depends on the efforts of people such as yourselves to make it a reality.

Every step forward in the relationship is the direct result of someone who has innovated, built connections across borders, and sometimes taken the leap of faith of moving to set up a business, a career, or a life in Australia or Malaysia.

Growth in Victoria’s key sectors are a direct result of these accomplishments with our partners abroad.

Malaysia is no exception – there are many cases you could find to demonstrate shared success created through our two-way trade and investment.

To discuss just one example – at the time I was Vice-Chancellor of RMIT University, a team of researchers were working on designing a system to help prevent bushfires and blackouts.

The team created what could be described as a smoke detector for the power network – known as early fault detection.

From these origins, the company IND Technology was founded, largely in response to the learnings from the devastating Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria. Its technology was first commercialised in 2016.

Still manufacturing in Melbourne, the company is now helping to protect communities across the globe from future disasters – including here in Malaysia.

From an idea hatched in a Victorian university and harnessed in the Australian bush, this critical infrastructure technology is now operating in the powerlines in the jungles of Malaysia.

In September, I presented the Chairman of IND Technology with the 2025 Governor of Victoria Export Award in the Manufacturing and Advanced Materials category, in recognition of these successes.

Only months ago, the company celebrated the soft opening of its brand-new office right here in Kuala Lumpur.

At the heart of the Victoria-Malaysia relationship are countless stories like IND Technology.

These are stories of mutual benefit, replicated time and time again across the full breadth of industries.

It would be remiss if I didn’t mention Monash Malaysia – Malaysia’s first foreign university campus – and the largest and most successful international campus, with plans for a new location here in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

Yet the strength of our partnership is not an achievement isolated in a moment in time.

Rather, it relies on an ongoing commitment from both sides to continue important conversations and build connections.

It is a commitment I have prioritised as Governor, in my meetings with the Prime Minister of Malaysia last year, and more recently, with the Malaysian Foreign Minister.

It is also sustained by the vital work of the Victorian Government Trade and Investment Office here in Kuala Lumpur.

However, it is people like yourselves who are the driving force behind progress.

Whether through commerce, education or cultural exchange, your work is helping to sustain the partnership between Victoria and Malaysia into the future.

Thank you for joining us this evening.

I look forward to speaking with you and hearing about your experiences and ideas.