The Sri Lanka & Australia Chamber of Commerce (SLACC) wrapped up yet another successful event;
Ready, Set, Grow – Taking your Business Down Under which took place on the 9 th of November 2022 at
the Hilton Colombo Residencies. The Board of Directors of SLACC welcomed members and special
invitees to this exclusive event and the highlight of the event was the presence of HE Paul Stephens,
High Commissioner to Sri Lanka & Maldives who inaugurated the event. Kalum De Silva, President of Sri
Lanka and Australia Chamber of Commerce, welcomed him to the venue along with the traditional Sri
Lankan welcome of Kandyan Dancers & drummers. HE Paul Stephens delivered the opening speech
which highlighted the 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and why Australia
should be considered as one of the best investment destinations.
The purpose of this event was to educate business leaders in Sri Lanka about the Australian economic
context and how they can benefit from investing in Australia. The SLACC brought together a number of
speakers who covered various aspects to consider when investing in Australia from setting up your
business down under to the various tax implications you could face.
Members of the Victorian Government Trade and Investment Office South Asia, Vidyanand Sagaraam &
Sriram Kasturi enlightened the audience with a presentation about the engagement between Sri Lanka
& Australia and the programme ‘Invest Victoria’. Their capabilities in Victoria and the services offered
were of great interest to the members of SLACC. Jayani Ratnayake, Economist with the Ceylon Chamber
of Commerce (CCC) educated the audience on business diversification through the lens of trade. Her
informative presentation had many vital points to take away for an organization considering expansion
into an international market.
Raj Deepan, partner – Tax and Business Advisory of Grant Thornton Australia shared details on the
current Finance and Labor Market in Australia, Types of Australian Taxes, and Government incentives &
requirements for setting up which was very valuable information to the forum. Prabath Liyanarachchi,
Senior Manager, International Sales at Haycarb PLC, a well-established Sri Lankan company in Australia,
took the forum on a journey of their set-up in Australia, their experiences doing business in Australia
and how they made a success of it.
Along with the many informative speeches given at the event the participants had the opportunity to
network with the presenters and have their questions answered, exchange information and meet &
greet other business leaders in the country.
The event was exclusively organized for the members of SLACC and special invitees. It concluded with an
evening of networking over drinks & canapés.
