Regional insights

Melbourne and San Francisco will be connected better than ever before, with United Airlines launching its first non-stop flight between the two cities.

This is the airline’s second non-stop flight between the US and Melbourne and will operate three times a week.

The new route means that there are more direct flights from San Francisco to Melbourne than ever before, with seven flights over six days a week.

Along with the 16 direct flights currently operating from Los Angeles to Melbourne and four to Vancouver, the new service will make travel even easier for Northern American businesses who have offices in Melbourne and those considering establishing a presence in Australia’s fastest growing city.

Melbourne is a popular destination for US investors, particularly those in the tech sector, with San Francisco-based tech companies such as Zendesk, Square, Splunk and Eventbrite having all established offices in Melbourne.

Showcasing Victoria's world-leading capabilities

Over the past few months, our Americas VGTI has been very heavily involved in promoting Victoria’s capabilities through a very eclectic mix of activities – from tech and creative industries in the US to education and mining equipment and technology services in Latin America.

South by Southwest (SXSW) Regarded as the leading global conference for music, film and interactive media, Global Victoria led a trade mission to SXSW in Austin, Texas in March 2019.

Supported by the Americas VGTI and Creative Victoria, 15 Victorian tech startups and a separate cohort of 30 delegates from Victoria’s creative scene travelled to the Silicon Hills to build new connections and soak up fresh new ideas from leaders across a wide range of industries, including, marketing, music and film equipment, robotics, aerospace, mobile apps, 3D printing, and many more.

Global Victoria, in collaboration with the Victorian Music Development Organisation, G'Day USA and Sounds Australia, put together a day-long celebration showcasing Melbourne’s best music, tech and film talent at Melbourne Hub, a venue takeover at AUSTRALIA House at SXSW 2019. The evening featured leading Melbourne acts Oh Pep!, Two People, Angie McMahon, Mojo Juju, Amyl and the Sniffers (DJ set) and DRMNGNOW (DJ set). With the venue at full capacity, the evening concluded with a late night screening of the Australian documentary, Her Sound Her Story by filmmaker Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore.

Several Melbourne-based artists and companies gained wider recognition in the US and beyond, and number of Victorian delegates reported hugely promising business outcomes, with some reporting estimates of $3.4 million in new business over the next 12 months, and $23 million over a two-year period.

Latin America

Lopez-Lochert Scholarship

In January 2019, nineteen Victorian TAFE students travelled to Chile under the Victorian Government’s Lopez-Lochert Scholarship program to undertake a two-week exchange program at Duoc UC, Chile's leading VET institution. Students undertook two-week courses on “Doing Business in Latin America” and “The World of Chilean Wines”. As part of the academic program, the group visited multiple local companies, startups and vineyards and immersed themselves in the local culture.

The scholarship is the result of a unique first-ever partnership between the Victorian Government, TAFE Victoria and Duoc UC aimed at facilitating student exchanges between Victoria and Chile, fostering cultural connections and promoting Victorian VET opportunities in Latin America.

Learn more about Victoria’s relationship with Latin America by reading the Victorian Government's Latin America Trade and Investment Strategy.

Exponor 2019: Global Victoria travels to the heart of copper mining in the world.

In late April 2019, the Victorian Government’s Office in Santiago supported nine Victorian mining equipment and technology services (METS) companies on a trade mission to Exponor 2019 – one of Latin America’s largest mining events, held bi-annually in Antofagasta, Chile.

The Antofagasta region is the main mining centre of Chile and is responsible for over 55 per cent of domestic copper production, as well as 100 per cent of the production of lithium carbonate, lithium chloride and lithium hydroxide. Several of the world’s major mining companies have operating assets in the region, including BHP Billiton, Anglo American, Antofagasta Minerals Teck, Codelco, Yamana, KGHM, Rockwood and SQM.

Global Victoria’s mission aimed to connect Victorian METS with management, executives and technical personnel at some of the largest and most sophisticated mine sites in the world. The program included tailored B2B meetings, networking opportunities, customer briefings and visits to key mining sites.

VIDEO: Victoria’s Latin America Trade and Investment Strategy launch

Key stakeholders in the Victoria-Latin America relationship attended the event, which underscored the momentum that has been established since the Victorian Government opened an office in Santiago in 2016 and since direct flights to Santiago were launched by LATAM Airlines in October 2017.

The Strategy sets out the Victorian Government’s vision for enhanced engagement with Latin America as well as underscoring the important efforts and initiatives that have taken place to date to strengthen Victoria’s relationship with the region.

The Victorian Government is committed to informing Victorian stakeholders, including the business and education sectors about the opportunities to collaborate and do business beyond traditional partners and to understand the diverse opportunities that Latin America presents.

Priority sectors include Mining and METS, International Education, Food and Agricultural Innovation and Liveability, while emerging sectors include Tourism and Major Events and Medical Technology and Pharmaceuticals.

The Government plans to increase Victoria’s exports to Latin America as well as grow student numbers and visitors from Latin America going forward.

Read the Strategy

• Download and read the full Strategy PDF, 3.2 MB
• Download and read an accessible version of the full Strategy  DOCX, 962.1 KB

Latin America is open for business

During a period when certain economies are becoming increasingly protectionist, others are embracing the opportunity to leverage the benefits of global trade through the expansion of networks created by free trade agreements.

Australia and key Latin American markets have demonstrated their commitment to free trade with several agreements under negotiation or signed in recent months, broadening opportunities for Victorian companies.

In February, the Peru Australia FTA (PAFTA) was signed by Australia’s and Peru’s Trade Ministers. In March, Australia signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership 11, which brings together eleven countries, including Australia, Chile, Mexico and Peru among other key Asia-Pacific countries. In late March, the third round of Pacific Alliance FTA negotiations was held in Chile. The Pacific Alliance, comprising Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru extends Australia’s FTA network to Colombia, a country undergoing significant changes following the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which brought an end to 50 years of conflict.

These agreements present opportunities for Victorian companies and institutions:

• The PAFTA provides improved market access for Victorian farmers, dairy producers and processed food suppliers as well as METs companies.
• TPP-11 builds on Australia’s existing agreements with Chile and Peru by providing a pathway for further business opportunities with Mexico, Victoria’s largest trading partner in Latin America.
• The four countries of the Pacific Alliance, together, account for 37 per cent of Latin America's population, 35 per cent of its nominal GDP, 46 per cent of its exports, and 50 per cent of its total imports, again offering an opportunity to facilitate business for Victorian companies across all four markets.

The new Victorian Government Trade and Investment (VGTI) office in Santiago, Chile, the launch of Latam’s direct flight between Melbourne and Santiago and the negotiation of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with Peru as well as the Pacific Alliance have paved the way for enhanced trade and investment ties between Victoria and Latin America.

In 2018, Victoria’s Minister for Trade and Investment will release the Victorian Government’s Latin America Trade and Investment Strategy, which will outline the key markets and priority sectors that align with Victoria's capabilities.

Opportunities for Victoria:

• Our enhanced presence on the ground will help Victorian businesses gain market intelligence and enter or expand their trade activity with Latin America through the office’s key relationships with the businesses sector and governments in-market.
• Improved air links will drive increased two-way travel by businesspeople, tourists and students as well as family and friends.
• The rapid conclusion of the Australia-Peru FTA negotiations will facilitate market access for Victoria's METS, infrastructure and Agtech companies as well as food and beverage exporters. Plans to conclude negotiations of the Australia-Pacific Alliance FTA in 2018 will multiply these opportunities with key markets that are open for business.

The new Victorian Government Trade and Investment (VGTI) office in Santiago, Chile, the launch of Latam’s direct flight between Melbourne and Santiago and the negotiation of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with Peru as well as the Pacific Alliance have paved the way for enhanced trade and investment ties between Victoria and Latin America.

In 2018, Victoria’s Minister for Trade and Investment will release the Victorian Government’s Latin America Trade and Investment Strategy, which will outline the key markets and priority sectors that align with Victoria's capabilities.

Opportunities for Victoria:

• Our enhanced presence on the ground will help Victorian businesses gain market intelligence and enter or expand their trade activity with Latin America through the office’s key relationships with the businesses sector and governments in-market.
• Improved air links will drive increased two-way travel by businesspeople, tourists and students as well as family and friends.
• The rapid conclusion of the Australia-Peru FTA negotiations will facilitate market access for Victoria's METS, infrastructure and Agtech companies as well as food and beverage exporters. Plans to conclude negotiations of the Australia-Pacific Alliance FTA in 2018 will multiply these opportunities with key markets that are open for business.