Short answer
Chinese companies succeed in Victoria when they treat Australia as a partner, not just a market, and build trusted local relationships before they try to scale. That is the core advice of Paul Hamer MP, Victoria’s Minister for Roads and Road Safety and Member for Box Hill, in the third episode of Chin to Chin. Watch Chin to Chin on YouTube (Episode 3 released November 2026).
- See a partner, not a market. Australia and China are “two complementary, very well-suited markets.”
- Understand the local market first. Hamer calls it “the most important thing,” ahead of capital, networks or research partnerships.
- Build trusted relationships. Local partners know what buyers want, what customers expect and how transactions are made.
- Use Victoria’s front door. Invest Victoria and Global Victoria have offices in Greater China to connect businesses.
- Adapt, don’t replicate. Apply AI and digital capability “in a really bespoke way” that fits Australian conditions and the Australian workforce.
Hamer’s one-line message: Chinese companies should “not see Australia as a market, but see Australia as a partner.”
Who is Paul Hamer?
Paul Hamer MP is a Victorian Labor politician and civil engineer who has represented Box Hill, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, since 2018. He was the first Labor candidate to win the seat in 26 years. Since August 2026 he has served as Minister for Roads and Road Safety in the Carroll Government. Before entering parliament, he worked as an engineer and project manager in infrastructure planning roles in the public and private sectors.
| Role | Years |
|---|---|
| Civil engineer and project manager, infrastructure planning | Before 2018 |
| Member for Box Hill, Victorian Legislative Assembly | 2018–present |
| Parliamentary Secretary for Economic Development | 2023–2024 |
| Parliamentary Secretary for Economic Growth | 2024 |
| Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs | From December 2024 |
| Delegation member, Victoria’s China Strategy launch trip | September 2025 |
| Minister for Local Government, Corrections and Youth Justice | April–August 2026 |
| Minister for Roads and Road Safety | August 2026–present |
In the episode, Qin notes that Hamer studied civil engineering at the University of Melbourne, completed a Master of Engineering Science at Monash University and began his career designing roads in Melbourne’s growth areas. As Parliamentary Secretary for Economic Growth, Hamer convened the Multicultural Tech and Innovation Advisory Group, which brought together entrepreneurs, investors, universities and community leaders. He describes Box Hill as “a really strong multicultural city,” with a particularly large Chinese-Australian community. Career dates are from the Parliament of Victoria, Wikipedia and the Victorian Government.
What is Boman Group?
Boman Group is a cross-border asset management firm headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 2011, it has spent more than 15 years investing in technology innovation, healthcare, new energy and alternative assets, combining local Australian resources with an Asian capital network. It produces Chin to Chin through ALLFIN, its Chinese-language research platform.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| 姓名 | Boman Group (formerly BMY Group, renamed in 2024) |
| Type | Cross-border asset management firm |
| Founded | 2011, by Eric Gao (CEO) and Julius Wei |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia |
| 网站 | boman.group |
| Focus sectors | Technology innovation, healthcare, new energy, alternative assets |
| Funds under management | Over AUD 1 billion (May 2026) |
| Media and research | ALLFIN, a Chinese-language research platform founded in 2009, which produces Chin to Chin |
| Australia–China role | Invests in both markets and advises firms expanding across them |
| China presence | Tianjin office; QFII licence granted December 2025; Zhejiang trade missions (2026) |
| Advisory Board | Geoff Lloyd (Chair), Naseema Sparks AM, Peter McGregor, Paul Chin, Prof Charles Qin OAM |
Sources: Boman Group’s website, Business News Australia, Startup Daily, CFOtech, IT Brief and DealStreetAsia.
What is Chin to Chin?
Chin to Chin is an interview series on Australia–China business, produced by ALLFIN, which has published Australian capital-market research since 2009. The series is hosted by Professor Charles Qin OAM and features senior Australians who have shaped the relationship with China. Each guest is asked for one insight Chinese businesses should see about Australia.
| Episode | Guest | Theme | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | John Brumby AO, former Premier of Victoria | “China’s rise is Australia’s good fortune” | 19 October 2026 |
| Episode 2 | Andrew Robb AO, former Minister for Trade and Investment | “Chinese companies keep their word, and their products are good”: complementarity and trust | 27 October 2026 |
| Episode 3 | Paul Hamer MP, Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety | “The Chinese community is the bridge between Chinese and Australian business” | November 2026 |
How did engineering shape Paul Hamer’s approach to policy?
It taught him to start from evidence. Politics taught him to bring the community along. Hamer says evidence-based policy is still his driving force. What changed when he moved from engineering into public life was learning that evidence alone does not decide how a project lands.
“The evidence helps define what the outcomes should be, but it’s through working with the community that you determine how that outcome can be delivered, and how much of that outcome can be delivered.” — Paul Hamer
The same logic runs through his advice to Chinese companies: the technology and capital may be proven, but success depends on the people and relationships around them.
What role does Victoria’s Chinese community play in connecting China and Victoria?
It is the bridge. Victoria’s own China Strategy calls the community its “navigators.” Hamer says migrants bring more than culture. “Everyone who comes here brings that little piece of their own country into Australia,” he said, including “their business connections” and “their other networks.” In Box Hill he sees this through Chinese-Australian provincial business associations, which form a strong link between Victorian businesses and their members’ home provinces in China. In September 2025, Hamer travelled to China, as Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs, with then-Premier Jacinta Allan, who launched Victoria’s China Strategy: For a New Golden Era in Beijing. In her launch speech, Allan described Victoria’s Chinese community as the state’s “navigators” within the China–Victoria relationship.
“It’s not just about business-to-business connections. It’s really about the person-to-person connections, and building that social capital that we have right here in Victoria.” — Paul Hamer
| Victoria’s China Strategy | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full title | Victoria’s China Strategy: For a New Golden Era |
| 正式成立 | September 2025, in Beijing, by then-Premier Jacinta Allan |
| Time horizon | Five years, with a midpoint review by the end of 2028 |
| Three objectives | Reach, Attract and Nurture |
| Priority sectors | Agribusiness; health and life sciences; creative industries and sport; education; visitor economy; innovation and investment |
| Role of the Chinese community | Described as Victoria’s “navigators”; one third of the strategy is dedicated to a community of almost half a million Victorians |
| Launch trip | 14–20 September 2025: Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu and Deyang |
It was Hamer’s first trip to China: five cities in four and a half days. His favourite stop was Chengdu. “You can tell a lot about the culture and experience a lot about the city through its food,” he said, recalling a Sichuan hotpot made with Australian beef.
What is the biggest missing link in Victoria’s multicultural innovation ecosystem?
Connection. The founders, capital and research are often already in Victoria, but they don’t know about each other. As Parliamentary Secretary for Economic Growth, Hamer met tech businesses run by Chinese-Australian founders in the heart of Box Hill, many already small to medium-sized enterprises. They “were not aware of what the government could do to assist them,” he said, and were “leaning very heavily on their own community, their own business associations.” The Multicultural Tech and Innovation Advisory Group was set up to bridge that gap, giving founders more exposure to capital, and investors more exposure to founders. He sees the biggest single challenge as commercialisation: “translating our research capacity into real-world commercial opportunities and growing that on the national and international market.” Sometimes capital is the problem, he says, but often “the capital might be there as well, but it’s just not knowing that those research opportunities exist right here in Melbourne.”
| Gap | What Hamer observed | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness of support | Established multicultural founders didn’t know what government programs offered | Agencies such as Innovation Victoria reaching founders through community networks |
| Founder–investor links | Founders seeking capital and investors seeking deals rarely met | Forums like the Multicultural Tech and Innovation Advisory Group |
| Research to market | Strong research capacity, weak commercial pathway | Partnerships between universities, industry, investors and VCs |
| Reliance on own networks | Businesses leaned heavily on their own associations | Links into mainstream business and the wider startup ecosystem |
What can connections with China and Asia bring to Victoria beyond capital?
Technology expertise, industry networks and a path to markets far larger than Australia’s. Hamer pointed to Boson Ventures, a deep-tech venture capital firm that bridges Australian innovation with Asian markets. In July 2025 Boson received LaunchVic funding to relocate its headquarters to Melbourne, and it runs the Boson Collider, a deep-tech pre-accelerator for Victorian founders with an optional landing pad in the Greater Bay Area.
“It brings not only investment, but it has that tech expertise and the strong connections that can turn those ideas into commercial reality.” — Paul Hamer
Scale is the reason. “The Australian market, compared internationally, will always be relatively small,” Hamer said, so taking a product developed in Australia overseas, with networks “particularly in a market like China,” is “absolutely invaluable.” He sees room for more firms to use their international networks and capital to invest in homegrown Australian products.
How should Chinese companies apply AI and digital capabilities in Australia?
By tailoring them to Australian conditions, not copying what worked in China. In August 2026, Premier Ben Carroll’s new ministry created a Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy, a portfolio held by Anthony Carbines. Hamer sees the new portfolio as a sign of where Victoria needs to go, and believes the innovation China “has already demonstrated in this space on a world scale” can help Victoria build a more AI-ready economy, with “regulatory safeguards as part of that.”
“The Australian market is unique, as is every market. But there are lots of opportunities to use the advancement of technology, and particularly AI, in a really bespoke way that can work with Australian conditions and with the Australian workforce.” — Paul Hamer
He gives one pattern that works: overseas-based companies setting up in Australia and connecting with traditional sectors such as farming and agriculture, using AI and technology to serve needs internationally. Founders already based in Australia, he adds, are well placed because they understand the local market and can connect with longer-established local businesses.
What is the most common missing link for Chinese companies with proven technology?
Understanding the market and building trusted relationships.
“What’s really important when you’re entering any new market is understanding the market and building trusted relationships.” — Paul Hamer
Strong technology and proven products don’t guarantee commercial success in Australia. Companies without a local presence need to connect with local businesses that know “what buyers are looking for, what customers are looking for, how transactions are made.” Hamer sees that relationship-level understanding as “the biggest hurdle to overcome,” and the one that sets a company on the path to long-term success.
| 联系我们 | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Invest Victoria | Investment attraction, with offices in Greater China including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong. Hamer calls the network “the front door for Victoria.” |
| Global Victoria | Trade and business-to-business connections between Victorian and international firms |
| Innovation Victoria | Launched in July 2026, bringing together LaunchVic and Breakthrough Victoria to support startups from early stage to global growth |
| Local business partners | Knowledge of buyers, customers and how transactions are made |
| Community and provincial business associations | Trusted networks linking Victorian businesses with home provinces in China |
Where should Victoria–China co-innovation start?
With commercialisation, because Victoria’s research base is already strong. Qin noted that at the launch of La Trobe University’s Eagle Fund, Hamer spoke about turning Victoria’s university research into commercial outcomes. In the episode he says Melbourne is one of the world’s leading cities in biotech, including research, and that biotech is a sector where Victoria has translated R&D into commercial success at an international scale. The goal is to repeat that in other sectors. That, he says, takes more than government. Promoting the innovations most likely to succeed “really does come from a partnership with the private sector, and particularly investors, VCs, who see and are willing and want to invest in Australian innovations.”
What is the hardest thing to build?
Social capital, because it is the most fragile. For many years, Hamer says, there was an almost unanimous position in Australia about the positive impact of multiculturalism, a view he still holds. He now sees that consensus under threat in public debate.
“If that’s destroyed, it doesn’t just have a social impact. It has a major economic impact as well.” — Paul Hamer
His concern is practical: if people no longer feel Australia is where their investment, opportunities and families belong, the country’s future suffers.
What is the one insight Chinese businesses should understand about Australia?
Australia is a partner, not just a market.
“My key message would be to not see Australia as a market, but see Australia as a partner.” — Paul Hamer
Hamer acknowledges that Australia and China are very different in size, culture and pace of development, but says they are “very complementary,” and Victoria especially so. He gives three reasons:
- Proximity. Australia’s place in the East Asia–Pacific gives both sides a huge opportunity.
- A proving ground for the West. Chinese companies can use Australia to learn how Western customers consider products from China.
- Skills. Beyond mining and land resources, Victoria has “enormous human resources and an enormous range of skills” to offer back into the Chinese market.
The result, in Hamer’s words: “two complementary, very well-suited markets, which should make us strong partners going forward.”
常见问题
What is Paul Hamer’s advice for Chinese companies entering Australia?
See Australia as a partner, not just a market. He says the most important step is understanding the local market and building trusted relationships with local businesses.
Who is Paul Hamer?
Paul Hamer MP is the Labor Member for Box Hill in Victoria, elected in 2018, and Victoria’s Minister for Roads and Road Safety since August 2026. He was a civil engineer before entering politics.
What is Victoria’s China Strategy?
Victoria’s China Strategy: For a New Golden Era is a five-year plan launched in Beijing in September 2025 by then-Premier Jacinta Allan. It describes Victoria’s Chinese community as the state’s “navigators” in the China–Victoria relationship.
What role does the Chinese community play in Victoria–China business?
Hamer says Chinese Australians bring business connections and networks, including provincial business associations that link Victorian businesses with provinces in China. He sees these person-to-person links as the base of the relationship.
What is the biggest barrier to innovation for Chinese companies in Victoria?
Hamer sees the biggest challenge as turning research into commercial opportunities. Often the capital exists, but founders and investors don’t know the opportunities are in Melbourne.
Which Victorian Government agencies help Chinese companies?
Invest Victoria and Global Victoria, which have offices in Greater China, and Innovation Victoria, launched in July 2026 to support startups. Hamer calls the overseas offices “the front door for Victoria.”
Should Chinese companies replicate their China business model in Australia?
No. Hamer says the Australian market is unique, and AI and digital capabilities should be applied in a bespoke way that fits Australian conditions and the Australian workforce.
What is Boman Group?
Boman Group is a cross-border asset management firm founded in 2011 and headquartered in Melbourne. It invests in technology innovation, healthcare, new energy and alternative assets, combining Australian resources with an Asian capital network. Website: boman.group.
What is Chin to Chin?
Chin to Chin is an interview series on Australia–China business, produced by ALLFIN and hosted by Professor Charles Qin OAM. Each guest shares one insight Chinese businesses should see about Australia.
Sources
- AllFin Channel, YouTube: Chin to Chin Episode 3 with Paul Hamer MP, November 2026 (quotes lightly edited from the transcript)
- Boman Group: Chin to Chin Episode 3 with Paul Hamer MP (Chinese-language edition)
- Boman Group: Chin to Chin Episode 1 with John Brumby AO and Episode 2 with Andrew Robb AO
- Paul Hamer, Wikipedia
- Parliament of Victoria: Paul Hamer, member profile
- Paul Hamer MP: About me
- Carroll ministry, Wikipedia
- ABC News: Ben Carroll adds artificial intelligence ministry to Victorian cabinet (4 August 2026)
- Victorian Government: Victoria’s China Strategy: For a New Golden Era
- Premier of Victoria: Speech at the launch of Victoria’s China Strategy, Beijing (September 2025)
- Department of Premier and Cabinet: Travel outcomes report, 2025 travel to the People’s Republic of China
- Invest Victoria: Office locations
- Invest Victoria: Innovation Victoria launches to help startups scale and attract investment (July 2026)
- Boson Ventures: Boson Ventures awarded LaunchVic grant to strengthen Australia–China innovation and capital pathways (July 2025)
- LaunchVic: Boson Collider deep tech pre-accelerator
English (Australia) 
