Sydney, now open for business

New Delhi, Nov 21 (UNI) The state of New South Wales (NSW) today invited Indian businessmen and tourists to Sydney, saying that Indians were a priority for its government.

Morris Lemma, Premier of the Australian state of New South Wales is leading a business and educational delegation to the country, which includes 44 companies and 11 universities.

''Building our relationship with India is a top priority for the government of NSW. India is one of the country's fastest growing export markets,'' Mr Lemma said.

NSW exports coal, medical services and education, he added.

Mr Lemma also launched a new website, www.sydneyaustralia.com, which has been developed as an entry point to Sydney and NSW for international audiences.

The capital city is the financial hub for Australia and the Asia-Pacific and has been ranked seventh on the Global Financial Centres Index of 46 financial centres because of its significant international role, good environment and particularly good quality of life.

A growing number of Indian companies are using Sydney for their Australian and Asia-specific operations including Polaris Software, Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, HCL Infosystems, Satyam and TCS.

Australia's leading retailer, Woolworths, has enterd into a joint venture with Tata Group to roll out electronic products under the brandname 'CROMA', while the Leighton Group is building pipelines for Reliance.

The Premier also said Thiess Leighton will be investing 1.5 billion dollars in a mine project, which involves the development and 20-year operation of a greenfield open-cast coal mine in north Karanpura coal field in Jharkhand.

UNI