• Australian migrants tell their 'welcome stories' through visual installations at the pavilion. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National
    Australian migrants tell their 'welcome stories' through visual installations at the pavilion. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National
  • The Australia Pavilion is located at the Mobility District at Expo 2020 Dubai
    The Australia Pavilion is located at the Mobility District at Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Visitors watch an audio-visual show at the Australia Pavilion at the Expo site in Dubai
    Visitors watch an audio-visual show at the Australia Pavilion at the Expo site in Dubai
  • The audio-visual displays are a major feature of the Australia Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai
    The audio-visual displays are a major feature of the Australia Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Australian migrants tell their 'welcome stories' through visual installations at the pavilion
    Australian migrants tell their 'welcome stories' through visual installations at the pavilion
  • It is a tech-savvy pavilion
    It is a tech-savvy pavilion
  • The souvenir shop at the Australia Pavilion
    The souvenir shop at the Australia Pavilion
  • Visitors to the Australia Pavilion enjoy the audio-visual show
    Visitors to the Australia Pavilion enjoy the audio-visual show
  • Time for refreshments at the cafe at the Australia Pavilion
    Time for refreshments at the cafe at the Australia Pavilion

My Expo pavilion: 'This feels like Australia as much as the UAE'


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

Going to an Australian showcase at international events is often a disconcerting experience.

As a citizen of Down Under for a little under 30 years, this is something I've noticed goes against the grain of the Australian character.

We are not really big on self-celebration, patting ourselves on the back or standing out.

LIVE BLOG: Updates and live coverage from Expo 2020 Dubai

It is a belief that was crystallised by a friend, a notable Aussie cultural figure in the UAE, upon leaving the Australia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai this week.

“Well, is that it?” she said, with a grin.

This was more a colloquialism than a flippant mark.

We are a great host nation (from two Olympic Games to several Hollywood films including The Matrix) but never comfortable with taking centre stage.

My mate’s remark is so accurate.

A country under construction

The tech and eco-savvy pavilion, located at the Mobility District, does a fine job of capturing a country under construction.

It is one being built on the back of a startlingly multicultural population and based on the blue-print laid by the country’s diverse indigenous population thousands of years before European settlers arrived at the turn of the 19th century.

It is also a reminder that, despite its growing pains, Australia provided many of us with a generous platform to be the best we can be.

The fact it stands beside the Malaysian pavilion and an international constellation of others, from Croatia and France to Thailand, is sentimentally apt.

From Abu Dhabi to Australia

Four decades ago, I was born in Abu Dhabi, as part of the city's small Eritrean community. At that time, a lot of us took opportunities to resettle abroad for education and citizenship.

A few of my childhood friends left the UAE in their late teens for Kuala Lumpur to get university degrees. I went to Australia when I was much younger.

It's a cosmopolitan country, especially in Melbourne, where I first arrived as a nine-year-old. It gave me my first insight into European and Asian cultures, through world-leading arts and culture festivals often organised by migrants from those communities.

Australian migrants tell their 'welcome stories' through visual installations at the pavilion. Antonie Robertson / The National
Australian migrants tell their 'welcome stories' through visual installations at the pavilion. Antonie Robertson / The National

It is an aspect digitised in the first of three sections of the pavilion: a neon-lit corridor with visual installations of migrants, young and old, describing their arrival in Australia.

It's a moving exhibition, for it reminds me of the story of a spirited African woman arriving in Australia in 1990 as a single parent with three children. Her name is Zahra Baho, my mother, and she told her story at an exhibition at Melbourne’s Immigration Museum in 2017.

Under the guidance of stars

The pavilion's centrepiece is the Star Dreaming Gallery, essentially a planetarium illustrating how Australia's indigenous communities were among the world's first astronomers.

Through the observance of their surroundings, they made accurate measurements of stars, galaxies and the changing of the seasons.

The Star Dreaming Gallery shows how Australia's indigenous communities were amoong the world's first astronomers. AFP
The Star Dreaming Gallery shows how Australia's indigenous communities were amoong the world's first astronomers. AFP

As someone who has also lived in the UAE on and off for half of my life, this felt familiar.

After all, this is a region where outer space is looked upon for guidance.

Ramadan is announced through the spotting of the crescent moon, while in late August we receive the welcome news by the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences that winter is coming with the arrival of the Suhail star, long mentioned in Arab poetry and Bedouin parables, in UAE skies.

A nod to the future

More synergy is found in the pavilion’s final showcase, Annika's Journey, a multimedia exhibition following a young girl as she takes us through Australia's various efforts to build a sustainable future by looking after its environment.

Annika's Journey at the Australian pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai. AFP
Annika's Journey at the Australian pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai. AFP

Some of the featured conservation initiatives, from the Great Barrier Reef to the mountainous terrain of Katherine Gorge in the interior region of the Northern Territory, echo some of the work done by authorities in the UAE, from Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre in Sharjah to Abu Dhabi's Jubail Mangrove Park.

The mention of Australia's ongoing efforts to build the world’s largest radio telescope in the country's west also complements the UAE's recent success with the Mars Mission.

That Aussie feeling

While the heady subjects covered are inspiring, I discover that true feeling of “Oz” in the lovely outdoor courtyard area.

Built from Tasmanian cross-laminated timber, the sandy brown structure resembles a mini version of Federation Square in the heart of Melbourne.

Those vibes are further channelled by the city's key attractions: the excellent coffee served in the Melbourne Lane coffee truck, and hip food options such as the sausage bao (Vietnamese sausage buns) from the Local Cafe.

Beef and chicken skewers and sausage bao buns from the Australian Pavilion a Expo 2020. Saeed Saeed / The National
Beef and chicken skewers and sausage bao buns from the Australian Pavilion a Expo 2020. Saeed Saeed / The National

“No, this is it!” I tell my friend, as we toast our lattes.

From my bench, I see people of various cultures and religions chatting away while a musician on stage performs a bluesy guitar solo.

This feels like Australia as much as the UAE.

Both feel like home.

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

While you're here
Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press 

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 290hp

Torque: 340Nm

Price: Dh155,800

On sale: now

Monday's results
  • UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
  • Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
  • Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline

Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.

When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.

Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.

Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.

“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.

Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.

“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.

The Two Popes

Director: Fernando Meirelles

Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce 

Four out of five stars

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

If you go

The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates


The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
 

When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season

Stage 2

1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30

2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06

3.  Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06

4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06

5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08

BLACK%20ADAM
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jaume%20Collet-Serra%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dwayne%20Johnson%2C%20Sarah%20Shahi%2C%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Pierce%20Brosnan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
%3Cp%3E1.%20Singapore%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Switzerland%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Denmark%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Ireland%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Hong%20Kong%0D%3Cbr%3E6.%20Sweden%0D%3Cbr%3E7.%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E8.%20Taiwan%0D%3Cbr%3E9.%20Netherlands%0D%3Cbr%3E10.%20Norway%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Profile

Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari

Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital 

Sector of operation: Transport

Updated: October 08, 2021, 6:09 AM