Study Gold Coast Showcase

The Honourable Rob Borbidge AO, former Premier of Queensland and Chair, Study Gold Coast; His Worship the Mayor, City of Gold Coast, Councillor Tom Tate; other distinguished guests; representatives of educational institutions; ladies and gentlemen.

As the Governor of Queensland, it is my great pleasure and privilege to return to Singapore, to showcase Queensland’s beautiful Gold Coast as an innovation hub and a remarkable learning destination.     

Excitement is building across Queensland for the Commonwealth Games, and nowhere more so than on the Gold Coast.

Our State’s second largest city is looking forward to welcoming our friends from across the Commonwealth for two weeks of intense sporting competition in April 2018.

Born as a holiday destination, hospitality is deeply ingrained in the Gold Coast’s DNA.

But today’s Gold Coast is much, much more than a beautiful place to visit.

Just as the 1982 Commonwealth Games marked Brisbane’s ‘coming of age’, the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast will signal its acceleration as one of the most exciting cities in the Asia Pacific region.

And at the heart of the Coast’s innovation economy are its world-class universities, schools and training institutions.

Our educational institutions blend academic rigor with an appreciation for our ancient and living Indigenous culture and the invigorating spirit born from being located in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions.

International education and training is driving innovation, building a stronger economy, facilitating international engagement and enriching communities across Queensland.

Our State already hosts more than 110,000 international students, and none are more welcome than those from Singapore.

In March 2015, I had the privilege of attending a reception hosted by the Australian High Commissioner for Alumni of Queensland Universities in Singapore.

It has long been said that Singapore’s success is founded on its people.

As I circulated among that highly-successful and dynamic group of Alumni, it was immensely satisfying to realise that as much as we value the Singaporeans who study in our midst, the talented Singaporeans who have put their Queensland education to such good use place equally great store on what they learned in our State.

Rest assured I will do my best to render what is an excellent educational relationship, even more enduring and mutually beneficial.

This evening you will hear about the evolution of the Gold Coast and its thriving education and training sector and the role it plays in the flourishing of Queensland education.

You will hear about exciting plans for a key opinion leader to share their experience of education and life on the Gold Coast during the Commonwealth Games.

I encourage you to discover more about the dynamic Gold Coast, as it prepares to take its place on the world stage as the host of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Thank you.