Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this month I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit Mongolia. It's a country which is off the radar for most people, apart from the odd adventure tourist, but it has a growing and mutually beneficial relationship with Australia, particular over the last 20 years. I'm the chair of the interparliamentary group for Mongolia in this parliament, and I'm thankful to the member for Bean for encouraging me to assume that role. I also thank the member for Leichhardt, who will visit Mongolia later in the year, for agreeing to be the deputy chair.

Prior to the trip, I met a number of times with His Excellency Mr Davaasuren Damdinsuren, Mongolia's ambassador to Australia, including in Perth earlier this year, at the second meeting of the Australia Mongolia Business Council. His Excellency was very generous with his time and his advice about Mongolia, and he appreciates the enthusiasm with which the relationship is being pursued.

Mongolia is similar in size to Queensland and Western Australia, and its population is similar to that of my home of Western Australia. Like WA, it has transitioned from a mainly agricultural economy to one based on mining. Mongolia, however, has embraced this change rapidly. Since becoming chair of the interparliamentary group, I've had the honour of welcoming the Mongolian Minister for Education and Science, Lkhagvyn Tsedevsuren, and representatives of the Mongolian parliament. I met the minister again when I was in Mongolia, where I was very pleased to learn that the Australian government has committed to increasing the number of scholarships provided to 'Mozzies'—Mongolians with very strong links to Australia—to enable them to continue studying here. There are over 6,000 Mongolians living and working in Australia, and those who have studied here and returned home to Mongolia include the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Economy and Development and many others. The literacy rate in Mongolia is now over 96 per cent, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a person who doesn't hold at least one degree or PhD, having studied at Monash, ANU, Berkeley or Yale. It is an extraordinary group of people that are leading that country today, in government, industry, health and many other sectors alike.

The timing of the visit enabled me to attend two events in the capital, Ulaanbaatar; one was political and economic in nature, and the other was cultural. On the Monday I attended the Mongolia Economic Forum and participated on a panel discussing areas for improvement in the minerals sector. There I was able to share Australia's experience, particularly in WA, of ensuring the participation of regional and remote communities and maximising their opportunity in the development of any of those resources.

Australia has been active in Mongolia for many years now, assisting the Mongolian government in the design of its regulatory environment. I commend our diplomats there on their work. I met with Australian Ambassador to Mongolia, Her Excellency Katie Smith, as well as the Foreign Minister of Mongolia, Battsetseg Batmunkh, who will also visit Australia next month.

The trip coincided with Mongolia's major annual cultural event, the Naadam Festival. On the Tuesday, I attended the festival's opening ceremony, which was rich and beautiful, with horseriding, wrestling and archery on display. On the Wednesday, I travelled by light aircraft across the Gobi Desert to the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine. It is the largest mine in Mongolia, run by Rio Tinto and owned by Rio and the Mongolian government. It contributes a significant portion of the Mongolian GDP and is expected to continue grow. Rio were keen for me, as the chair of the interparliamentary group, to visit the mine, and they sponsored the trip. I thank Rio and, particularly, Munkhsukh Sukhbaatar, Dom Hannigan and Paul Holland for their assistance, enthusiasm and support.

Estimates of the size of this resource put it between the third-largest and the largest copper deposit in the world. Copper, of course, is a vital metal in the move to net zero. I was certainly interested to see this development with my trade committee hat on, as well. It's a massive operation, with the mine extending 1.3 kilometres underground. Importantly, Rio enabled leaders from the Nyangumarta community, in the Kimberley, to see firsthand the open pit mine there. They could see the environmental impact and how the herders have been able to realise jobs and opportunities, which could be mirrored back home in Western Australia.

Mongolia is an amazing place, both geographically and culturally, and I look forward to returning.

House adjourned at 17:00