Bangladesh has formally requested Australia Work and Holiday to resume the Visa program for Bangladeshi citizens, while also urging Australia to recruit Bangladeshi workers in its mining sector. The request was made on Wednesday (10 December) during the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in Dhaka at the secretary level.
High-Level Bilateral Meeting Held in Dhaka
The Bangladesh delegation was led by Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Secretary (East and West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Australian delegation was headed by Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Broad Discussion on Bilateral Cooperation
Both sides engaged in a constructive and forward-looking dialogue covering a wide range of bilateral issues, including:
- Trade and investment
- Development partnership
- Migration and mobility
- Maritime cooperation
- Multilateral engagement
- Climate change
- People-to-people connectivity
The two delegations also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the Indo-Pacific region, IORA engagement, and the Rohingya refugee situation.
New Areas of Collaboration Identified
Bangladesh and Australia identified new avenues of cooperation in key emerging sectors, such as:
- Renewable energy
- Skills partnership and technology exchange
- Blue economy
- Artificial intelligence
- Cybersecurity
- Anti–money laundering initiatives
Australia Reaffirms Support for Bangladesh
Sarah Storey reaffirmed Australia’s continued support for the interim government and its reform initiatives. Referring to the upcoming national election, she stated, Australia expects a free, fair, and inclusive democratic transition in Bangladesh, with full support for postal voting for expatriate Bangladeshis.
She also outlined Australia’s priority areas in engagement with Bangladesh, including:
- Expanding people-to-people links
- Increasing trade and investment
- Implementing development partnerships
- Supporting Bangladesh in Rohingya management
- Enhancing defence and security cooperation
- Strengthening Indo-Pacific collaboration
Work and Holiday Visa and Employment Proposals
During the meeting, Secretary Mohammad Nazrul Islam proposed:
- Resumption of the Work and Holiday Visa for Bangladeshi nationals
- Recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in Australia’s mining industry
- Establishment of a University of Canberra campus in Dhaka
- Collaboration between Australian TAFE institutions and Bangladeshi TVET institutes
He also emphasized the importance of increasing high-level bilateral visits to further strengthen the growing partnership between Bangladesh and Australia.
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