Victorian Premier John Brumby in the United Arab Emirates

Today John Brumby addressed an AusBG lunch in Abu Dhabi to talk up the important links between the UAE and Victoria – with a special focus on the investment and trade opportunities between the two states. Readers will remember that Mr Brumby has been instrumental in helping get Victoria ‘Shari’ah ready’ for business.

During a flying two day visit Premier Brumby opened the senior school of the Victorian International School in Sharjah and met with government and business leaders. According to Mr Brumby the UAE is Victoria's tenth largest export partner and second largest Middle East trading partner with goods exports worth $600 million in 2008-2009.

The UAE is also a nearly $200 million market for Victorian-made passenger cars and Victorian company Volgren, in partnership with Hafilat Industries, is building fourteen new buses for the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport.This partnership is also bidding to build up to 850 additional buses for Abu Dhabi Department of Transport which will open up a major new export opportunity for Volgren.

Mr Brumby also visited the largest Toyota dealership in the United Arab Emirates and fourth-largest in the world to inspect Victorian-made Camry's which are made at Toyota's Altona plant. 60 per cent of Toyota's Altona plant production is exported and a significant proportion of that goes to the Middle East.