Gov. Whitmer Signs MOU with Australia to Continue Growing Economy & Opportunity

Memorandum of Understanding builds on Governor Whitmer’s commitment to cleaner, safer, and more accessible mobility in Michigan.

LANSING, Mich. – Last week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Michigan and Australia reaffirming our commitment to collaboration in the automotive industry, future mobility, and the transportation sector.  
 
“Michigan is excited to work alongside Australia to continue growing our automotive, maritime, and sustainable forest bioeconomy industries, fight climate change head-on, and collaborate to make mobility cleaner and safer,” said Governor Whitmer. “This MOU will build on Michigan’s longstanding, shared heritage with Australia and help us to collaborate to create opportunities for safe, equitable and sustainable transportation options. Right now, Michigan’s unemployment is 3.8%, below 4% for only the third time since the 1970s and we have added 61,000 jobs year over year. With effective collaborations like today, we can keep growing our economy and building the future.”
 
“Signing the MOU enables ongoing bilateral cooperation across the Australian and Michigan automotive and technology sectors and policy makers,” said Minister King. “It promotes emission reduction outcomes, improves collaboration in future transport technologies, and enhances supply chain connectivity.”

The MOU signed by Governor Whitmer and Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King increased collaboration between Australia and Michigan to get ready for more accessible, safer, and more connected transportation in the future. It will support the continuous collaboration between Australian and Michigan policymakers and the automotive and technology industries. This MOU will serve as the foundation for the two jurisdictions' ongoing cooperation to ensure that the transportation industry contributes to the effort to reduce emissions. Michigan has made a commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, like that of Australia. Previously, the State of Michigan and the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Andrew Broad, signed an MOU in October 2018 to work together on cutting-edge automobile and road technologies that will enhance mobility. 
 
Areas of possible cooperation in the MOU include:  

• Sharing information on science, technology, regulations, and policies; co-hosting conferences, workshops, and meetings between Michigan and Australia and other nations. 
• Exchanging best practices in workforce development and skilled trades. 
• Creating new initiatives to address the demands of developing technologies. 
• The formation of a collaborative task team to offer guidance on bolstering Australian and Michigan technology clusters and linking important coordinating bodies 

Governor Whitmer was joined for the signing by Quentin Messer, Jr., CEO, MEDC, Terri Fitzpatrick, Executive Vice President, Chief Real Estate and Global Attraction Officer, MEDC, Eric Shreffler, Senior Vice President, Market Development, MEDC, Kathryn Snorrason, Interim Chief Mobility Officer, OFME and Katelyn Wilcox, Assistant Chief of Protocol, MEDC. 
 
Through the Australian Integrated Multimodel EcoSystem (AMES), a project of the University of Melbourne, the MOU between Australia and Michigan has advanced significantly. The MOU promotes connections between, for instance, Michigan's Mcity and American Center for Mobility off-road facilities and AMES, which has a live test bed on Melbourne city streets. This MOU will serve as the foundation for future cooperation between our two jurisdictions ensuring that the transportation industry contributes to the effort to reduce emissions. 
 
This MOU builds on Governor Whitmer’s commitment to cleaner, safer, and more accessible mobility in Michigan. The updated MOU between Michigan and Australia reaffirms our dedication to working together in the automotive industry, future mobility, and the transportation industry.  Accessibility, safety, traffic, and productivity benefits are possible with new and developing transportation technologies. 
 
In August 2023, the Michigan Department of Transportation intends to send a delegation to ITS Australia, and MEDC is collaborating with ITS Australia on the possibility of holding a virtual session in advance of the event. 

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.