Leaders from Australia and New York gathered in Lower Manhattan this weekend to celebrate a new technology-sharing initiative aimed at ending the West’s dependence on China for lithium production.
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles and Rep. Tom Suozzi of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (D-NY) joined the celebration at One World Trade Center on Saturday night.
“The world is a difficult and dangerous place and the alliance between Australia and the US has never been more important to Australia in particular,” Marles told The Post.
“This event is an expression of the friendship and alliance between the United States and Australia.”
The event took place on the 82nd floor of the tower, soon to be the offices of Scale Facilitation, an investment fund led by businessman David Collard, who organizes New York professionals to collaborate with researchers and entrepreneurs in his native Australia. did project.
“Australia is one of America’s longest-standing allies … and now we’re helping each other,” Collard told The Post. “It makes us both stronger when we’re both working in the industry in our countries.”
Scale helped launch a factory in the Empire State earlier this year that relies on clean ingredients to produce lithium-ion batteries needed for electric vehicles, rather than toxic elements like nickel and cobalt used in China’s manufacturing process.
The event highlighted a major effort by Western countries to support friendship or transfer important parts of the global supply chain to allied countries. Friend-shoring is designed to minimize disruptions in the supply chain.
“The United States has been a dear ally of our people for decades and we continue to support the synergy between these two countries,” Opposition Leader Dutton told The Post.
Foundation representatives mingled with government officials in the new office space, which also includes a dedicated lounge for veterans and first responders from the US, Australia and other allied countries to relax, mingle and work.
Guests included many dignitaries from Down Under, including Australia’s Consul General in New York, Nick Greiner, Australia’s Ambassador to the UN, Mitch Fifield, and Australia’s Chief of Defense Services and US Defense Attaché, Major General Andrew Freeman.
At the beginning of the evening, the participants were treated to a didgeridoo – played by a man who had flown in from Australia just for the event.
“It’s the most iconic destination in the world — it’s great to see Scale here,” Marles said.
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