Government of Timor-Leste

On December 18^th, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, held a meeting at the Government Palace in Dili with the Chargé d'Affaires of the Australian Embassy in Timor-Leste, Caitlin Wilson, to discuss bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting, the priorities of the Government and the 2024 General State Budget - currently under discussion in the National Parliament - were discussed. The budget summarises the strategic objectives of the 9th Constitutional Government's Programme in two fundamental pillars: the productive sector and social capital, to help build a prosperous and sustainable future. The Government intends to invest in public infrastructure, production capacity, employment and diversified economic sectors to boost economic growth. At the same time, it plans to direct investments towards improving citizens' quality of life in areas such as education, health, inclusion, the fight against poverty and environmental protection.

The Prime Minister and the diplomat also discussed existing bilateral cooperation in various areas, such as defence and security, decentralisation, justice and strategic areas, such as the projects to expand the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport and the installation of the fibre optic cable. Labour mobility was another of the meeting's themes, namely expressing the desire to broaden the scope of the Labour Mobility Programmes to include technical and skilled areas, such as the hospitality industry.