Sweden and Australia Charting the Future of Sustainable Mining – IMARC, Sydney 31 October

Sweden at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney.

H.E Pontus Melander welcomed participants to the Sweden session “Sweden and Australia charting the future of sustainable mining”, presented by the Embassy of Sweden and Business Sweden at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney.

Following on from the successful visit by H.R.H Crown Princess Victoria and Minister for Foreign Trade, Johan Forssell to Australia in February 2023, the Sweden session provided a renewed focus of the Sweden – Australia collaborations within the mining industry.

The session presented discussions centered around sustainable mining, including digitalization, automation and electrification and Ambassador Melander noted that “the mining sector is a provider of solutions and Sweden wants to collaborate with countries like Australia”.

A keynote delivered by Dr Adam Best, CSIRO emphasized the importance of sustainable mining, new technologies and the importance of the future of mining to support the green transition.

Swedish company representatives, Max Ludke, Vice President and Business Line Manager Mining, ABB, Hans Wahlquist, Global Director Product Management, Epiroc, Wayne Scrivens, Vice President AU & NZ, Sandvik and Simon Stone, Vice President, Hexagon participated in a panel discussion, moderated by Peter Ker, Senior Editor, Australian Financial Review on the strength of the Swedish innovation ecosystem and the growing partnerships between Sweden and Australia.

On the question – “Why are Sweden and Australia compatible” the panelists agreed that Sweden punches above its weight in innovation and Australia is forward leaning in technology and eager to take on new ideas.  “Our countries are geographically far apart but culturally we are close and geo-politically like-minded”.

During IMARC the Embassy also took the opportunity to meet with exhibiting Swedish companies Epiroc, Sandvik, ABB, Hexagon, Axis Communications and SKF. We can confidently say that the Swedish companies present at IMARC 2023 were promoting Sweden’s solutions in mining, emphasizing the focus on sustainability and showcasing the strong innovation ecosystem.

The Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce invited participating Swedish company representatives and Australian stakeholders to a pre-IMARC event at the office of Business Sweden as a kick-off to the IMARC Sweden Session on 30 October. At this pre-IMARC event, we heard from industry experts from the mining ecosystem, Professor David Saiang at Luleå University of Technology and Andrew Dawson at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, who gave us insight into sustainable mining practices, innovative technologies, AI to support green transition and future development.

 

The Embassy of Sweden caught football fever in Australia and New Zealand

The Embassy of Sweden started to engage with Football Australia at an early stage to explore possibilities to increase visibility for women’s football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

During their visit to Australia in February the Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel met with the Matilda’s Head coach Tony Gustavsson and players in his team. In fact, eleven of the players in Australia’s national squad play for clubs in the Swedish top division Damallsvenskan – a showcase of the strong people-to-people relationships existing between Sweden and Australia.

Once the tournament was underway the Embassy attended several games including the bronze medal match between Sweden and Australia. The matches were not only an opportunity to cheer for our Swedish team and to connect with fans but also to meet Australian and New Zealand officials. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton were both present for the final game in Brisbane.

Together with the Embassy of Italy the Embassy organized a pub screening of the Sweden-Italy game. In conjunction with the tournament the Embassy also participated in a gender equality symposium in Brisbane as well as an event on football and diplomacy organized by Football Australia and the New Zealand High Commission in Canberra.

The Embassy thanks and congratulates the hosts Australia and New Zealand for organizing an extraordinary World Cup and for lifting women’s football to new hights. We congratulate the Swedish and Australian teams for amazing performances and thank the Swedish Football Federation, the Sweden-Australia Chamber of Commerce, our Swedish honorary consulates and all the individual enthusiasts that contributed to making the World Cup a big party for Swedish fans.

Per Linnér

National Day celebrations 6 June at the Swedish Church in Melbourne – Celebrating Sweden 500 years

What’s in a number?

Well, plenty as Sweden celebrates 500 years on the 6th of June, making 2023 a jubilee year.

 

At the heart of it is Sweden’s transition into a national state as Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden on the 6 June 1523 in the small town of Strängnäs. Shortly after that Sweden left the so-called Kalmar Union with Denmark and Norway and became independent again.

On the 6th of June 2023, in Melbourne at Toorak House, on an unusually warm winter’s day (almost like a northern summer’s day in Sweden).  Ambassador Pontus Melander invited the Swedish community, Swedish companies, Swedish Church and friends of Sweden in Melbourne to an evening to celebrate the Swedish National Day and Sweden 500 years.

Starting with formalities, as one should on a National Day, toasts for Sweden and Australia were followed by the Swedish National Anthem and the Australian National Anthem, both sung a capella by talented singer Suzann Frisk.

Ambassador Melander opened his speech with an acknowledgement of country by paying his respect to the traditional owners of the Kulin land and welcoming everyone to the celebrations. He also thanked Katja Lin and the Swedish Church for the opportunity to host the National Day in the beautiful Toorak House.

“Depending on one’s perspective, 500 years of human history can be a long period or a very short one. We are humbled by the fact that this continent has been continuously inhabited by Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander people for over 60 000 years” the Ambassador said, then continued: “Sweden has changed over 500 years and today we take pride that Sweden, just like Australia, is a modern society where people can pursue their dreams and exercise their freedom of expression, regardless of gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.”

Sweden’s excellent political and diplomatic relations with Australian were confirmed with the recent visit in February from the Crown Princess of Sweden, HRH Crown Princess Victoria, HRH Prince Daniel and the Minister of Trade, Johan Forssell.

The visit highlighted our shared values and interest and showcased the strong relationship between Swedish companies and relevant Australian partners. Many Swedish companies are well established in Australia, creating jobs and furthering the economic development, innovation and sustainability focus and many of them located in Melbourne.

We were delighted to have company representatives from Ericsson, ABB, Scania, Tetra Pak, Axis, Astra Zeneca, IKEA, Sinch, SAAB, Polestar, Husqvarna, Alfa Laval and many entrepreneurs celebrating Sweden together with us.

The evening was truly a success with many from the Swedish community and organisations in Melbourne coming out for the National Day celebration, for the first time properly since the pandemic. It is safe to say that the quiz about Sweden was the most popular thing of the evening, with almost all guests testing their knowledge of Sweden. 15 happy winners were selected and were given a goody bag from the Ambassador with information books about Sweden and chocolate from Mörk Chocolate.

Look out for more celebrations later in the year as this year we also celebrate His Majesty the Kings’ golden jubilee. It marks the 50th anniversary of his accession to the throne, His Majesty is currently the third longest serving head of state in the world.

Thank you, Melbourne, we are happy you all joined us in celebrating Sweden 500!

Embassy of Sweden in Canberra

Introducing the new Ambassador of Sweden to Australia

HE Mr. Pontus Melander is since October 10, 2022, Ambassador of Sweden to Australia.

Before coming to Australia, he served as Deputy Head of the Security Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Between 2017 and 2019, he served as Sweden’s Ambassador to Iraq.

Previously, he was Ambassador at large at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Ambassador at Swedish Armed Forces between 2008 and 2010.

Over the years, Mr. Melander has held various positions abroad, including at the Embassy of Sweden to Canada, the Embassy of Sweden to the United States and the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union in Brussels. At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, he has held positions as Ambassador and Energy Coordinator and Ambassador and Chief Coordinator for Export Support to the Defense Industry. In addition, he has worked at the Office of the European Correspondent, Department for European Affairs and the Trade Department.

Mr. Melander received his Master of Science in Politics, Economy and International Law at the University of Lund 1989. He has also received higher management training in the Swedish Armed Forces and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Melander is married and has four children.

Photo: Kristian Pohl

Sweden to hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union 1 Jan – 30 June 2023

Presidency of the Council

The Presidency of the Council rotates between EU Member States every six months. During a six-month period, the Presidency will drive forward the Council’s work on EU legislation, ensure continuity of the EU agenda and ensure that legislative processes are carried out in an orderly manner and that Member States cooperate.

The two main tasks of the Presidency are to plan and chair the meetings of the Council and its preparatory bodies and to represent the Council in its relations with other EU institutions.

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 January to 30 June 2023.

The four priorities of the Swedish Presidency

  • Security – unity
  • Resilience – competitiveness
  • Prosperity – green & energy transition
  • Democratic values and the rule of law – our foundation

The priorities of the Swedish Presidency reflect positions that Sweden has traditionally advocated in the EU, but also respond to the current geopolitical and economic challenges facing the Union.

More detailed information on the priorities is available on the official website of the Swedish Presidency

Other related links:

Sweden’s Presidency of the Council of the EU – Government.se

https://www.government.se/articles/2022/12/2023-swedish-presidency-in-focus-during-european-parliaments-stockholm-visit/

HE Henrik Cederin Ambassador of Sweden to Australia – Thank you and see you again

 

Dear SACC members, dear friends,

After three productive, enjoyable but also challenging years, I am in early August leaving Canberra to return to Stockholm. I have very much enjoyed my time at the Embassy in Sweden, so beautifully situated in Yarralumla in central Canberra. We have a great Embassy team and Sweden has a good standing in Australia. Equally, I have tremendously enjoyed the very fruitful cooperation that we have with SACC and all SACC members. SACC does a wonderful job in raising the Swedish flag and in promoting further strong interaction between Sweden and Australia. The way that the challenges emerging with the pandemic have been turned into opportunities, gives testimony to the strategic vision and creativity which characterizes the work of the Chamber.

It is always difficult to pack up and leave a place that has been good to you. Australia is one such place. I want to thank all of you that I have been dealing with. It has been wonderful to travel the country and to meet SACC members and Swedish companies in the various states. The interest to work together within the Swedish community to share Swedish perspectives with Australian stakeholders is strong and encouraging.

Team Sweden in Australia – The Embassy, SACC and Business Sweden – will continue our joint efforts to promote Swedish interests. There is a great potential for Sweden in Australia and we can be optimistic about future prospects.

 

See you again,

Henrik Cederin

Ambassador of Sweden to Australia

 

 

 

The Embassy of Sweden hosted art exhibition to highlight the problem of plastic pollution – 13 May 2022

Beyond Borders: People, Plastic and Pollution &

Swedish Institute’s Re:waste – how Sweden is rethinking resources

 

Over two weekends in May the Embassy of Sweden, together with the Australian National University (ANU) School of the Art & Design, hosted the art exhibition “Beyond Borders: People, Plastic and Pollution”. The collaboration with ANU School of Art and Design invited students to investigate plastic pollution through a creative lens. Two installations, ”Bedroom Plastic” and “PHYT!” were created to evoke thoughts and provide a platform for a discussion around the major environmental problem of plastic pollution.

On Friday 13 May the exhibitions opened with a multi-stakeholder panel discussion on “how to combat plastic pollution”. The opening was framed in the the spirit of the major UN environmental conference Stockholm +50 that took place a few weeks later. A representative of the Australian Department of Environment gave opening remarks followed by a discussion around the importance of a whole of society approach, addressing challenges throughout the whole life cycle of plastics and collaboration between government, industry, academia and civil society.

Following the discussion, guests were able to view the exhibition was created by ANU School of the Art and Design students and the Swedish Institute exhibition “RE:waste – how Sweden is rethinking resources”. RE:waste is giving a Swedish perspective of the waste hierarchy, recycling and waste management,

With the event the embassy wanted to engage Australian stakeholders in a discussion around plastic pollution and highlight Sweden and Swedish solutions in terms of sustainability. The Swedish government is a strong proponent of a global agreement to combat plastic pollution. Multilateral negotiations on a global agreement will start this year.

In June 2022, it was 50 years since the first conference on the human environment was held in Stockholm in 1972. To commemorate this, and to accelerate the discussions on the need for urgent action, the UN mandated conference Stockholm +50, “a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity” was held in Stockholm. The conference focusing on how to accelerate and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, tackle the planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

 

  

   

Fossil Free Sweden and Roadmaps towards Net-Zero Emissions

How can transition increase competitiveness?

In 2015 the Swedish Government committed to the Paris agreement with the ambition to become one of the first fossil free welfare nations in the world. Fossil Free Sweden was established shortly after, with the aim to accelerate the climate transition and to create a strong industrial sector, more jobs and export opportunities, whilst going fossil free. A very important part was the 22 roadmaps created, owned and run by industries themselves, who have set more competitive goals for themselves than the goal set by the Swedish Government.

The idea to present a webinar about Fossil Free Sweden came up during a (SACC) Sustainability Committee meeting. This dynamic and progressive sustainability group, with representatives from a broad range of Swedish companies and business organizations, wanted to hear more about the work of Fossil Free Sweden. They wanted to learn all about the bottom up approach towards net zero for the industry in Sweden with a hope to inform and inspire change in Australia.

Under a Team Sweden flag, the Embassy of Sweden and the Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce together with Fossil Free Sweden presented on the 7 September webinar:

” Roadmaps for Fossil Free Competitiveness – Challenges and Opportunities Towards Net Zero Emissions”.

Fossil Free Sweden and the Roadmaps were introduced to a broad Australian audience that joined, listened and contributed with many great questions in the Q&A discussion.

The engagement was an important aspect, we wanted to create a rapid and flowing conversation and we had the pleasure to invite David Leitch, principal, ITK Services Australia and author at RenewEconomy, to moderate the discussion. With his deep knowledge of renewable energy and economics, he applied an Australian angle, skillfully layered the conversation to cover many angles and questions on decarbonization and introduced Fossil Free Sweden to Australia.

H.E Henrik Cederin, Swedish Ambassador to Australia opened and welcomed the audience to the webinar. Delivering a strong message; “The need we face, to speed up the transition from the dependence of fossil fuel to create a society and economies that run on renewable energy. We now have a critical decade ahead of us”

Svante Axelsson, National Coordinator then set the scene of the current situation in Sweden regarding CO2 emissions per capita, energy mix and emissions by industries. Inspiring, with a positive message that industry can set the tone with the right narrative and a can-do-mentality. He instils confidence in leaders and decision makers to be brave and make the right decisions. The big surprise has been that industry has seen the possibilities and now talk about how they can increase their competitiveness by being fossil free. The success of the roadmaps lies in that the industry sectors own their own roadmaps and together, create a needed interface between industry and politicians in suggesting how to remove obstacles to accelerate the transition.

The voice from industry and the 22 roadmaps would be pivotal to our discussion so two roadmap representatives were invited to our webinar. Marianne Hedberg, Swedish Construction Federation, representative of The Construction and Civil Engineering Sector Roadmap and Ellen Einebrant, from the Swedish Recycling Industries, representative of The Recycling Sector roadmap were integral to a layered conversation.

Marianne Hedberg told us that the construction sector’s largest challenge is how to decarbonize, in particular, the largely used material cement. There are ways for the sector to lower their emissions, for example, by adding fillers to cement that does not add carbon emission and by investing in carbon storage/capture. To reduce the climate impact of materials and a building as a whole is important, a climate calculation for every new building will be introduced at the end of the year.

Ellen Einebrant spoke about the Swedish Recycling Industries and that they represent private recycling companies, which cover about 80% of the sector and handle 10 MTons of waste and recycled material. The sector works to increase recycling and resource efficiency, still its main challenge is how to reduce their emissions, where the biggest emitter is landfill. The recycling roadmap has made a call to politicians to introduce a methane capture requirement.

The interface between government and business is important to create adequate policy and procurement. The next, and a very important, step is to provide the infrastructure so that it will be possible to phase out fossil fuels. Today we have an industry that is dependent on fossil fuel, that currently cannot use electricity or hydrogen widely. Therefore, we need interim solutions, like biofuel instead of fossil fuels, in order to strengthen the value chains and enter into this new industrial revolution.

Together, the Embassy of Sweden, the Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce, its Members and the SACC Sustainability Committee are important Ambassadors, representing change, informing of great examples, sharing best practices and solutions for a faster transition.

VIEW SLIDES FROM THE PRESENTATION HERE

VIEW THE ONLINE RECORDING HERE: Roadmaps for Fossil Free Competitiveness – Webinar 7 September 2021 – YouTube

SCANDINAVIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2021 – Feature 5 Swedish Films

 

Highlights of the Scandinavian Film Festival 

 

The Scandinavian Film Festival returns exclusively to Palace Cinemas this July with a specially curated programme of films and events, showcasing the best in new Nordic cinema.

The Festival will open with WILDLAND (Kød & Blod). Set in Denmark’s underbelly, Jeanette Nordahl’s striking Scandi-noir follows an impressionable teenage girl who is placed in the care of her estranged aunt, (an incredible Sidse Babett Knudsen), the head of a family crime syndicate.

From Finland comes the GAMES PEOPLE PLAY (Seurapeli). A group of old friends gather at an idyllic Finnish seaside villa to celebrate a surprise birthday, where old feelings and power struggles rise to the surface, starring Laura Birn and Christian Hillborg.

At the Centrepiece of the Festival is THE COUNTY (Héraðið), Grímur Hákonarson’s eagerly anticipated follow-up to the global hit Rams. THE COUNTY is a rousing, David-and-Goliath comedy about a dairy farmer’s wife (Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir) who takes on the corrupt local co-op in her remote Icelandic valley.

Rising Norwegian star Josefine Frida Pettersen (Skam) shines in Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s provocative new drama DISCO about a young evangelical dance champion whose faith is tested, prompting her to search for radical solutions.

 

This year’s Special Presentation is the Swedish film TIGERS (Tigrar)

 

TigersAUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
TIGERS
SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Crowned Best Nordic Film at the Göteborg Film Festival 2021, Tigers is the enthralling true story of Martin Bengtsson, a former Inter Milan player, who lifted the lid on a world where everyone has a price tag. Festival Director Elysia Zeccola said: “We emerge from hibernation with a stunning selection of the best Nordic cinema, including award-winning films direct from the 2021 Göteborg Film Festival featuring the brightest stars from the region.”

 

Other featured Swedish films 

The EmigrantsTHE EMIGRANTS
CLOSING NIGHT

Celebrating its 50th anniversary and featuring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann, The Emigrants follows a struggling farming family in mid-19th Century Sweden who decide to embark on the arduous journey to new hope in America.

 

 

A Piece of My HeartAUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
A PIECE OF MY HEART

Based on music by legendary Swedish artist Tomas Ledin (ABBA), this musical comedy follows successful businesswoman Isabella’s (Malin Akerman) return to her hometown, where she learns that her teenage love (Christian Hillborg) is getting married.

 

 

Call Mum!AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
CALL MUM!

Niki has just turned 35 and is suddenly forced to come to grips with all her relationships and past choices in life in this charming comedy about mother-daughter relationships.

 

 

Psychosis in StockholmAUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
PSYCHOSIS IN STOCKHOLM

The deeply moving 2020 Göteborg Film Festival’s Opening film is a surreal drama about a mother and daughter who embark on a trip to Stockholm, yet their plan is derailed when the mother begins acting strangely.

 

 

The SACC will organise pre-movie networking drinks in each Chapter city (highlighted below) if covid restrictions allow:

Sydney: 6 – 28 July, Palace Norton, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinemas
Canberra: 7 – 28 July, Palace Electric
Melbourne: 8 – 28 July, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino and Pentridge Cinema
Adelaide: 13 July – 4 August, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
Perth: 14 July – 4 August, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square
Brisbane: 15 July – 4 August, Palace James St, Palace Barracks
Byron Bay: 16 July – 1 August, Palace Byron Bay

Stay tuned as we roll out event details for each city once dates become available.

For more information, visit scandinavianfilmfestival.com and follow us on Insta/Facebook @ScandiFilmFest.

Hilma af Klint – The Secret Paintings – Visionary Swedish artist works showing at Art Gallery of NSW

Hilma af Klint – The Secret Paintings – Visionary Swedish artist works showing at Art Gallery of NSW

Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings at the Art Gallery NSW 12 June-19 September 2021

 

 

 

 

Left to right: Hilma af Klint The Ten Largest, Group IV, No. 5, Adulthood 1907 HAK106; Group IX/UW, The Dove No. 2 1915 HAK174. By courtesy of the Hilma af Klint Foundation. Photos: The Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden.

 

On the 12 June the doors opened to the ‘Hilma af Klint – The Secret Paintings’ at Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. This is the first time the incredible works of Hilma af Klint are shown in Australia with the exhibition open until 19 September 2021. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover the extraordinary artistic achievements of this trailblazing artist who stood for too long outside the accepted story of European modernism.

Graduating with honours in 1887 from Stockholm’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Hilma af Klint was recognised as a talented naturalistic painter but in 1906 chose to pursue a radically different path as an artist – one that was deeply engaged with spiritualism, with new developments in science and with the natural world. When af Klint began creating her ambitious new works in 1906, no one had seen paintings like hers before – so monumental in scale, with such radiant colour combinations, enigmatic symbols and other-worldly shapes. Influenced by the spiritualist practices of her time, af Klint believed that her paintings contained messages for humanity communicated to her through the visions she received from spirits.

Hilma af Klint was the visionary Swedish artist whose paintings were stored away and scarcely known for decades. The re-discovery of her ‘secret paintings’ has taken the international art world by storm – to find out more and how to book your tickets please visit Art Gallery of NSW website Hilma af Klint | Art Gallery of NSW

Thursday 29 July, Embassy of Sweden together with University of NSW will host the screening in Paddington, Sydney, of the documentary ‘Beyond the Visible – Hilma af Klint’. More information about the screening will follow.

 

Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings is supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW and presented with the cooperation of The Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm in association with Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne.

Visit the AGNSW links below for more information;

Hilma af Klint Events

> Art Gallery NSW

> Media release

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