Speeches
Tuesday, 08 November 2022
StudyAdelaide Dinner, Ho Chi Minh City
It is my great pleasure to be here with you today.
On this, my first overseas engagement as Governor of South Australia, I am dedicated to fostering stronger connections between Vietnam and South Australia through education and by supporting the education and career aspirations of Vietnamese students.
As a career diplomat, I saw that education was the cornerstone of many bilateral and multilateral conversations, and can facilitate a powerful bond between countries.
South Australia is committed to engaging with Vietnam and supporting Vietnamese students to achieve their education and future career goals.
For this reason, I am proud to support the initiatives of the South Australian government and our state’s education providers, including universities, colleges and schools.
One of the announcements I had the pleasure of making in Ho Chi Minh City today is that StudyAdelaide is providing a bursary to enable six students, without the financial means to pay for their university entrance fee, to attend a university here in Vietnam for the duration of their undergraduate course.
We recognise the significant economic and cultural contributions that Vietnamese students studying in Adelaide make to South Australia, and this is a small way for us to give back.
Vietnamese students typically do very well academically and in engaging with the community.
In fact, in two of the past six years, a Vietnamese student has been awarded StudyAdelaide’s International Student of the Year.
Today we want to acknowledge the role that you, education agents and alumni of South Australia, play in promoting and advocating for Adelaide as a study destination.
I have no doubt the last two years have been extremely challenging and uncertain for you.
I thank you for your perseverance and dedication to supporting students studying remotely at home, or overseas without the ability to return home to their family.
The South Australian government and our education institutions hope that the support measures offered to international students also provided some comfort to their families.
Looking to the future, South Australia welcomes the opportunity to continue hosting and supporting Vietnamese students in their education and career journey.
Adelaide is a vibrant, multicultural, progressive and beautiful city with excellent education institutions, a high quality lifestyle and strong career opportunities.
There is significant growth and investment in future-facing sectors such as renewable energy, advanced technology, agribusiness and space, with Adelaide being home to the Australian government’s Australian Space Agency.
Global consulting companies such as Deloitte and Price Waterhouse Cooper have established dedicated programs for hundreds of graduates in Adelaide.
And South Australia’s credentials in health and research continue to expand with further investment in research and hospitals.
Above all else, knowing Adelaide is home to a vibrant cohort of international students, who are significantly supported by the wider community, provides reassurance when you are recommending our city as a study destination.
I think it is the reason why we host the third largest cohort of Vietnamese school students in Australia, and the reason why we continue to see an increasing number of students choose Adelaide for their education.
If we have learnt anything from the pandemic, it is that the power of personal connections cannot be underestimated.
Connection is a key benefit that Adelaide offers to international students who choose to study and live in our city.
Thank you for promoting Adelaide to the world and encouraging Vietnamese students to undertake their education journey with us.
I assure you, we will look after them extremely well.