Acting High Commissioner of Australia hosts reception to mark Australia Day

Mauritius: On the occasion of Australia Day, celebrated annually on 26 January, the Acting High Commissioner of Australia, Ms Keara Shaw, hosted a reception at the High Commission’s residence in Floreal to mark the Day.

The President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun; the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning. Minister of Tourism, Mr Steven Obeegadoo; Ministers; members of the public and private sectors and Non-Governmental Organisations; members of the diplomatic corps; and members of the Australian community were present at the event.

In her address, the Acting High Commissioner stated that the Day is an occasion to reflect on Australia and Mauritius’s long-shared journey of friendship and the strong ties that bind the people of both countries.

” Australia and Mauritius are natural partners, and we are home to Mauritius’ second largest diaspora”, she said, adding that the year 2023 will mark 53 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

She recalled that exchanges between the two countries date back to the early 1800s, whereby Australia sought Mauritian expertise to build Queensland’s sugar industry. Subsequently, Australian experts worked with Mauritius on the mechanisation of the sugar industry, part of a long and rich partnership of technology exchange, she pointed out.

Ms Shaw observed that the exchange of expertise and technology is continuing and that the longstanding relationship is set to grow even further through increased education and research partnerships and two-way trade. To this end, she mentioned that Curtin University is setting up a Centre for Marine Science and Technology in partnership with the Mauritius Oceanography Institute.

She further stated that Australia will be collaborating with Mauritius in diversifying the country’s blue economy sector, including a pilot project to boost sea cucumber production, map ocean currents and respond to the oil spill, as well as search and rescue operations.

Australia and Mauritius are also cooperating in the international system, she underlined. Australia provided two million dollars last year to the Commonwealth Finance Access Hub hosted in Mauritius, and is also working on numerous projects to build climate resilience, indicated the Acting High Commissioner.