KOTA KINABALU: Australia is interested in working to help Sabah develop the state’s workforce, especially in the oil and gas industry.
Senior Business Development Manager of the Australia Trade Commission (Austrade) for Brunei and Sabah, Josie Abdullah, said Malaysia-Australia relationship in education was strong and Australia could provide the skilled workforce that Sabah needed to develop the oil and gas industry.
“Our aim here is to see how Australia can work with Sabah to help grow the oil and gas industry, especially in developing upstream and downstream sectors.
“Australia already has oil and gas companies like ROC Oil and AWE Ltd in business in Malaysia, so I am sure we can provide the assistance to develop Sabah’s oil and gas industry,” she said at a briefing on the latest developments of Sabah’s oil and gas industry here yesterday.
Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioner for Malaysia and Brunei, Susan Kahwati said the enforcement of the Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement (MAFTA) effective Jan 1, 2013, would further integrate the Australian economy into the fast-growing Asian region.
“Malaysia is Australia’s third largest trading partner within the Asean region with two-way trade worth about RM55 billion in the 2011/12 financial year.
Meanwhile, Sabahan entrepreneurs who are keen in venturing into the oil and gas sector are urged to team up with experienced foreign partners such as Roc Oil Company Limited of Australia.
According to Yayasan Sabah Group deputy director cum executive chairman/chief executive officer of Petrosab Logistik Sdn Bhd, Datuk Dr Johan Arriffin Datuk Abdul Samad during a briefing on the latest development of oil and gas industry in Sabah yesterday, it was a fact that Sabahans lacked exposure in the field of oil and gas and hence, should partner with foreign oil and gas companies that are more experienced.
By doing that, locals can enhance their capability in the field, he said, adding that without such an arrangement, it would be very difficult for them to break into the Sabah oil and gas arena and be entrusted with projects by Malaysia’s oil and gas company, Petronas.
“We are looking for partners like Roc Oil so that we can enter into upstream industry. And Australian companies have longer exposure in the field. Additionally, they also have good financial standing and are more capable of taking risks,” he said.
During a question and answer session held later, Dr Johan was told by Datuk Adeline Leong, a participant at the event, that a hand holding endeavour with Petronas should take place to raise the level of competencies of contractors in Sabah in the oil and gas sector.
“How can we compete with other contractors in the field when we are not even given any chance?” she questioned.
Dr Johan replied that Petronas does have a hand holding programme — a vendor programme — and such an opportunity to take part in it was never given to Sabah.
“They did it with Sarawak,” he said.
At the same time, Dr Johan also lamented that Petronas was not giving priority to Sabahans.
“They don’t rank Sabahans highly,” he said.
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