Parliament Briefing and Lauch of the Parliamentary Friendship Group of Sweden

Monday 14 September 2026 | Parliament House, Canberra

On Monday 14 September, the Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) Sustainability Committee convened a Parliamentary Briefing and Industry Dialogue at Parliament House in Canberra, bringing together parliamentarians, government representatives and Swedish industry leaders for constructive dialogue on key sustainability priorities and opportunities for closer government–industry collaboration.

The briefing was opened by Penny George, Vice President of SACC and Director Public Affairs at AstraZeneca, followed by special remarks from H.E. Klas Molin, Ambassador of Sweden to Australia. Simon Fontana, Chair of the SACC Sustainability Committee and Head of Corporate Affairs at AstraZeneca, introduced the Committee, the objectives of the briefing and the three priority areas identified collectively by participating companies.

EV Fleets & Low-Emissions Transport

Rachel Parry, Deputy Secretary for Transport at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, provided the government perspective on the transition to lower-emissions transport.

Scott Maynard, Managing Director, Polestar, presented the industry perspective on behalf of the participating SACC Sustainability Committee members, highlighting industry experience, implementation barriers and opportunities for government–industry collaboration.

The discussion was facilitated by Lauren Pulitano, Vice President Public Affairs, Volvo Group Australia.

Circularity & Waste Infrastructure

Senator Andrew Bragg, Shadow Minister for the Environment, provided a parliamentary perspective and addressed priorities within the Shadow Environment portfolio.

Hugo Visser, Director, EQT Group, presented the industry perspective on behalf of participating SACC Sustainability Committee members, focusing on practical industry experience, challenges and opportunities to advance circularity and waste infrastructure.

The discussion was facilitated by Irena Dodig-Knezevic, National Marketing Director, Arjo Australia.

Decarbonisation & Energy Transition

The Hon Kate Thwaites, Special Envoy for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience, provided the government perspective and addressed priorities relating to climate change, adaptation and resilience.

Bernard Norton, Managing Director, Hitachi Energy, presented the industry perspective on behalf of participating SACC Sustainability Committee members, highlighting industry experience and opportunities to accelerate Australia’s energy transition.

The discussion was facilitated by Simon Fontana, Chair of the SACC Sustainability Committee and Head of Corporate Affairs at AstraZeneca.

Parliamentary Friendship Group of Sweden

An important milestone during the morning was the official launch of the Parliamentary Friendship Group of Sweden, providing a valuable new platform for strengthening parliamentary and bilateral connections between Sweden and Australia.

The launch included welcome remarks from Cassandra Fernando MP, Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group of Sweden, together with remarks from H.E. Klas Molin, Ambassador of Sweden to Australia, and brought Members of Parliament together with representatives of the Swedish-Australian business community.

A Collective Industry Initiative

A key feature of the briefing was that the industry speakers represented the collective perspectives, experiences and recommendations of the participating SACC Sustainability Committee members, rather than those of their individual companies.

Companies participating in the initiative were:

ABB, Arjo, AstraZeneca, Ericsson, EQT, Getinge, Hitachi Energy, IKEA, Polestar, Saab Australia, Sandvik and Volvo Group Australia, together with represented Committee member BCSDAustralia.

Read more about the Committee Members and their Sustainability Initiatives here 

Their collective input helped identify practical implementation barriers, areas where Swedish industry experience can contribute to Australia’s sustainable transition, and opportunities for closer collaboration between industry, government and parliamentarians.

Acknowledgements & Next Steps

The briefing concluded with next steps presented by Simon Fontana, Chair of the SACC Sustainability Committee, followed by thanks from Camilla Jennings, General Manager, SACC.

SACC extends a special thank you to Simon Fontana, Committee Chair, and Annie Miley, Vice Chair, for their leadership and commitment throughout the development of this initiative.

Our sincere appreciation also goes to H.E. Klas Molin, Ambassador of Sweden to Australia; Deputy Head of Mission Nils Hedberg Grimlund; Luz Galé Arrieata; and Elenor Söderberg at the Embassy of Sweden for their invaluable support in bringing the Canberra programme together.

The event was supported by the Embassy of Sweden, AstraZeneca and Sandvik, and SACC thanks all participating companies, speakers, facilitators, parliamentarians and government representatives for contributing their expertise, perspectives and time.

The Parliamentary Briefing represents an important step in the Sustainability Committee’s work. The Committee will now build on the dialogue and relationships established at Parliament House, continue engagement with government and parliamentarians, and progress the priorities and recommendations developed collectively through this initiative.