The Timor-Leste – Australia Economic & Business Conference, Day 2

A brief extract from my Welcome address as Australian Business Champion for Timor-Leste today: Timor-Leste is a young nation with abundant opportunity. 40% of the Timorese population is under 15, and the median age is 20—that is a huge core of working-age people. If we compare Timor-Leste to the Northern Territory: The population of the Territory is just over 255,000. Timor-Leste is 1.35 million and growing. At least 10% of Timor-Leste’s population has disposable income similar to the Northern Territory. That is an additional 135,000 people on our doorstep. What's more, Dili is only an overnight ship to Darwin, then 2 days to almost anywhere in Australia. No other country can offer such an attractive proposition for business investment.