The Ambassador of Italy to Australia Francesca Tardioli paid her official visit to the Northern Territory, from 19 to 24 May, accompanied by the Consul of Italy in Brisbane Salvatore Napolitano. In the presence of the Chief Minister of the Territory Michael Gunner and the Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro, the Ambassador announced the opening of a branch of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Northern Territory, which will work under the coordination of the Queensland Italian Chamber to boost commercial relations and promote the activities of Italian companies. In the institutional meetings at the highest level and in the technical ones, the Ambassador expressed the interest of Italy for the Territory, which has rich resources (mining, energy) and at the same time relevant commercial opportunities, in particular in the sector of infrastructures and agro-business.
“I was very glad to visit the operations of ENI Blacktip / Yelcherr Gas Plant, which since 2009 has supplied electricity to the cities of Darwin, Katherine and local communities, and the Katherine photovoltaic plant, completed in 2020 with an installed capacity of 33,7 Mgw/p ” declared the Ambassador who added: “these projects together with all the other planned initiatives – and especially the institution of a branch of a branch in Northern Territory of the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry – highlight the commitment of the “Sistema Italia” to support the sustainable development of the Territory in perfect line with the priorities of the Italian Government’s economic recovery program , the objectives of the Italian G-20 Presidency and the COP-26 co-chairmanship with the UK”.
The visit of the Ambassador led to the finalization of a Statement of Intent on education cooperation, which aims to further promote the dissemination and teaching of the Italian language and culture in the schools of the Territory.
During the meeting with the more than 200 members of the Italian community on Friday 21 May at the Italian Club of Darwin, the Ambassador presented the honors of Knight of the Order of the Star to the Honorary Vice Consul Carlo Randazzo, who performs those functions in an exemplary manner since 1997 and to Ross Finocchiaro, President of the Darwin Italian Festival, which has become one of the main events on the cultural and social agenda of the Northern Territory.