THE Australian state of Victoria has pledged to boost trade relations with the Middle East at celebrations marking 15 years of its representative office in Dubai.

The Victorian Government Business Office (VGBO) was set up in 1997 to facilitate Victorian trade, investment and education. Through a variety of programmes and business initiatives, the VGBO assists Victorian exporters and provides assistance to Mena companies and organisations to source products and services, business introductions and investment opportunities with Victoria.

John Butler, Victoria’s commissioner to the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The Victorian Government remains fully committed to the region and will continue to foster a mutually beneficial relationship with the Mena business community. The region now imports more than $2.4 billion worth of goods and services from Victoria, including premium food and beverage, automotive vehicles such as the Melbourne-made Toyota Camry and highly manufactured goods across a range of industries.

“We now look forward to building on the strong foundations that have been made over the past 15 years and further developing the two way trade between Victoria and the Mena region.”

Butler was recently re-appointed as the commissioner for the region until 2015 and leads a team of industry professionals. The team creates opportunities to expand the market for a range of goods and services including food and beverage, education and financial investments.

These industries were a focal point of the Victorian Government’s recent ‘Super mission’ to the Middle East. In February the Victorian Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business, Tourism and Major Events, Louise Asher, headed a delegation of more than 100 leading companies in the State’s first multi-industry trade mission to the region.

The trade mission, which was Australia’s largest ever to the region, signalled the Victorian Government’s intentions to ramp up engagement with the Middle East across a number of industries, including food and beverage, infrastructure, water and agribusiness.

Many of the visiting companies participated in the annual Gulfood exhibition, further positioning Victoria as the food basket of Australia. As the largest food-exporting State, Victoria is home to more than 2,000 food processing companies. Food and beverage exports to the MENA region are worth around AUD$ 830 million per annum.

Victoria’s dairy industry is the largest food industry in Victoria, with world-class companies such as Murray Goulburn, Tatura Milk Industries and Warrnambool Cheese calling Victoria home.

Education also remains an important industry for Victoria in the Middle East. Between 2002 and 2011 enrolments from Middle Eastern students in Australia grew at an average annual rate of 25 per cent. In Victoria during this period, enrolments from Middle Eastern students grew at an average annual rate of 27 per cent.

Air links between Victoria and the region has also been significantly opened up over the past 15 years with major upgrades on flights with the leading airline carriers further boosting trade and tourism.

The UAE’s Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline have sponsorships with major events and sporting venues in Melbourne, including Etihad Stadium, and sponsorship of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Cup and the Collingwood Football Club. Qatar Airway’s Pacific Rim regional headquarters is also located in Melbourne, Victoria’s capital city.