Remarks by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the Reception for Overseas Singaporeans, 19 June 2014, Perth, Australia

Mr Michael Teo

Singapore’s High Commissioner to

the Commonwealth of Australia

Mrs Joyce Teo

Fellow Singaporeans

Good evening

My wife Mary and I are delighted to have the opportunity to be here with you in Perth this evening.   Accompanying us on this visit, we have my colleagues Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew and Mrs Lui, Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Health, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Members of Parliament Alex Yam and Foo Mee Har, and I am sure that all of us will relish the opportunity to meet with you, find out what you are doing, how you are doing and keep in touch with Singapore.

The Singaporean community here is multi-faceted. Among you are professionals, managers, entrepreneurs, students, homemakers, and, of course, personnel from the Republic of Singapore Air Force Pearce Detachment whom we visited this afternoon.  All of you play a crucial role in strengthening ties between Singapore and Australia through the work that you do, the friendships that you forged, and the links established with the local business and community networks.

I understand from High Commissioner Michael Teo that the Singaporean community in Australia has been active in promoting bilateral trade ties through the establishment of chambers of commerce and business councils.  I encourage all of you to continue working with the High Commission to forge strong links between our two countries for mutually beneficial outcomes. 

Australia and Singapore enjoy a warm and longstanding relationship, which is underpinned by our shared strategic perspectives.  We also enjoy deep bilateral co-operation across diverse fields including defence, education, trade and tourism.

Our two countries work closely together in both regional and international fora for mutual benefit.  Both our countries are always exploring ways to strengthen this friendship.

For example, Singapore is delighted to be part of the pilot programme of the New Colombo Plan which sends Australian students to Asian countries, to further deepen the people-to-people ties between our two countries.  Another example is the recent extension of trial SmartGate automated border processing system to Singaporeans, which makes it more convenient for Singaporeans holding biometric passports to clear the Immigration and Customs when entering Australia.  

I am delighted to learn that the Singaporean community in Perth has been active in organising community initiatives to foster closer ties among Singaporeans here and keep the Singapore spirit strong.  Besides National Day celebrations, you have the Singapore Film Festival and an upcoming Singapore Community Day. I encourage all of you to participate actively in these community events so that you can keep in contact with fellow Singaporeans and experience ‘Home Away from Home’.

With increasing globalisation, more and more Singaporeans have ventured beyond our shores to study, to live and to seize opportunities where your skills are in demand.  Like some of you, I was once a student in Australia many years ago, but of course things have moved on since then.  Technological advancement has narrowed the distance between home and Australia and made it easier for you to keep abreast of developments back in Singapore.  I hope that you will take advantage of this to stay closely linked to your family and to our country.

On that note, I wish all of you an enjoyable evening. Mary and I look forward to interacting with you during the reception to learn about your experiences away from home and to learn more about you and your family.

Thank you.