Catherine Murphy
Question:36. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he plans to visit Australia within the next six months. [35942/23]
View answerTuesday, 25 July 2023
Questions (36)
Written answers
Ireland and Australia have enjoyed warm and close relations for over 75 years and our Embassies are engaged in a range of activities to deepen our engagement, given that we share values and a common outlook on many global issues. Ireland works closely with Australia in multilateral fora, at the UN and beyond.
Members of the Cabinet have held a number of meetings with the government of Australia at both federal and state level, reflecting this close friendship. This March, as part of the St Patrick’s Day programme, Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment undertook a five city visit to Australia, where he visited Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, with political engagement, trade and investment promotion, community events and media encounters. During his visit, Minister Coveney met with Prime Minister Albanese as well as Minister for Trade Farrell. In February of this year, senior officials in my department held bilateral consultations in Canberra, to discuss Ireland-Australia relations and other issues of shared interest.
This month, Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Thomas Byrne represented the Government at the opening game of the FIFA Women's World Cup in Sydney, where Ireland played the co-host nation Australia. As part of his visit, Minister Byrne undertook a number of commitments, including political engagements, trade and investment promotion, community and sporting events, and media encounters, reflecting the depth of Ireland's relations with Australia.
I look forward to an opportunity to visit Australia when the opportunity presents, which would offer a further opportunity to further deepen the warm and close relations between Ireland and Australia.