Ambassador of Australia to the People’s Republic of China HE Scott Dewar
Speech at the Nanjing Wool Conference
20 September 2025
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Good morning distinguished guests.
My name is Scott Dewar and I am the Australian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.
It is a pleasure to be here with you all today.
I will speak in English but I wanted to begin by thanking our Chinese friends for their support.
I would like to begin by thanking:
The organisers:
· Mr Liu Jiaqiang, President, China Wool Textile Association
China SDIC International Trade Co., Ltd:
· Mr Wang Wenjun
· Ms Yang Xiaoxiong
· Mr Jiang Chen.
And acknowledge:
The Honourable Mark Patterson, Minister for Rural Communities and Associate Minister of Agriculture of New Zealand
Mr Kong Qiuyun, Vice Chair, Committee of Economic Affairs, Science and Technology, Nanjing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
Mr Liang Pengcheng, Vice President of China National Textile and Apparel Council and other distinguished guests.
I am delighted to be joining you again at the Nanjing Wool Market Conference, an opportunity I believe, to celebrate the agricultural relationship Australia and China share.
As the son of sheep farmers, the wool industry is one near to my heart.
I grew up on a farm in Victoria, in the south of Australia, and I understand the hard work that goes into making Australia wool the best in the world. I know the sights, the sounds and the smells of a shearing shed in the shearing season.
Australia and China have a long, shared history in wool.
With trade and investment between both nations stretching over 70 years.
As evidence of the value Australia places on wool production, regional communities, trade and our relationship with China, our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese recently visited Lal Lal Estate in Australia, which forms part of Tianyu Wool’s enterprise.
I understand there are many Tianyu representatives here today and I would like to extend my appreciation to you for the successful farm visit.
I would also like echo the Prime Minister’s comments from his tour of the estate.
That the Australian wool clip is the best in the world, its quality is recognised globally, from the paddocks and shearing sheds where it is produced to the retailers in which it is sold.
The Australian wool industry has a long history as a keystone of many rural and regional communities across Australia.
It employs approximately 200,000 people across production, farm services, research and marketing.
All of us in this room have an interest in wool.
Strong reliable markets incentivise producers to continue to grow wool, helping to maintain the stability and longevity of the sector.
We are well supported by the architecture already in place to do this, such as through our bilateral free trade agreement, to ensure this trade remains tariff-free, competitive and passes on the benefits to our businesses, farmers and consumers.
The continued success and importance of wool both globally and within our communities is underpinned and strengthened by the next generation of wool farmers, weavers and millers many of whom I see are here today.
I am reassured every time I meet young people in this industry that it is an industry in good hands. Their enthusiasm and energy will help the wool sector to continue to flourish and maintain an important role in global textile markets.
The wool industry is one that has a long history of adaptation and innovation, with this new generation comes new innovation.
Within this year’s group of young Australian wool growers attending today, I would like to make special mention of Kristen (Krisi) Frost.
Many of the pictures you can see behind me are of her stud merino farm in Crookwell, New South Wales.
She, like many of our Australian wool growers is passionate about the industry and is an example of generational efforts to ensure Australian wool maintains its standing as a high-quality sustainable product.
The wool sector continues to evolve, building its sustainability credentials across the entire supply chain, exploring new husbandry practices for greater yields and finer fleeces, and developing new methods of milling and weaving to make new fabrics.
To ensure we remain competitive, innovative and sustainable, the Australian Wool industry is supported by strong research and development.
Our Research and Development Corporations, such as Australian Wool Innovation invests in a range of areas including research into more effective ways to manage water and nutrient resources on wool-growing properties, understanding the impact of climate change and developing technology for more efficient processes.
Ensuring our food and fibre products are produced sustainably is a fundamental part of our trade.
Australian wool is the original eco fibre.
It is 100% natural, renewable, biodegradable and recyclable.
Without the presence of microplastics, Australian wool fibre doesn’t lead to land or marine contamination.
In a world where sustainability matters, wool is considered a ‘circular’ fibre, suitable for reuse and recycling, as opposed to the wasteful linear method of textile production for synthetic fibres.
The Australian sheep industry have collectively worked on nationwide approaches to ensure ongoing sustainability across the industry.
To this end, the industry led Sheep Sustainability Framework initiative launched in April 2021 provides a framework to monitor, measure and report the Australian sheep industry’s performance against key sustainability priorities, demonstrating transparent sustainable practices and identifying opportunities for further improvements.
This is just one of the many tools our industry are using to meet the needs of consumers and processors.
Together we can work to continue to grow demand for a product which is sustainable, biodegradable, long-lasting and far better for the environment than synthetic fibres.
Australia’s hard-working farmers, shearers and woolhandlers produce exceptional wool.
China’s expert knitters and weavers turn Australia’s high-quality wool into fabrics and clothing that is sold across the world.
Together, we form a critical international supply chain demonstrating how complementary our two economies are and we look forward to continued demand for Australian wool in China.
In closing, I want to share with you another way wool has played a part in our Australia China connection.
In the Australian Consulate in Guangzhou, we have a wonderful example of Australia China cooperation in the wool industry. The centre piece of the entry to the Consulate is a traditional lion’s head mask, constructed by a family that is a master of intangible cultural heritage, using traditional Chinese methods and made from Australian wool.
I look forward to today’s conversations and continuing to see strong industry partnerships and positive outcomes to share.
Thank you.