Page 1607 - Week 05 - Thursday, 18 April 1991

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

CHIEF MINISTER FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

Question No 354

MR WOOD- To ask the Chief Minister upon notice on 12 March 1991

1. What process was used in the lead Up to your signing a twinning agreement

between SAFE and the Foothill College at Los Altos Hills, California.

2. What costs were incurred in order to undertake the twinning agreement and who

paid for any such costs.

3. What will be the ongoing costs of this arrangement.

4. What staff exchanges etc are planned, for when and at what cost.

MR KAINE - The answer to the members question is as follows:

1. The Director of the ACT Institute of TA.FE visited Foothill College in late July

1990, and discussed common interests with senior counterparts. Subsequent

negotiations on a possible twinning were conducted by correspondence, with the

concurrence of the Institute Advisory Committee. The terms of the agreement

between the two institutions were agreed in early January. I signed the agreement

on behalf of the Institute as responsible Minister at Los Altos m late

January, 1991.

2. Both the Director and myself visited Foothill College during private holidays; we

were both reimbursed out-of-pocket car expenses or the travel to Foothill from

San Francisco.

3. The costs of the twinning agreement will depend on the specific program of

cooperation that the two institutions put in place. This is the subject occurrent

negotiation. The negotiations also encompass the possibility of public and private

sector sponsorship of aspects of the twinning program. The Institute also expects

that the twinning with the top community college m Silicon Valley will encourage

stronger industry support for ACT SAFE from local Australian industry, and be a

good base for recruiting full cost students. The direct costs may thus not be a good

guide to the educational and commercial benefits anticipated.

4. Staff and student exchanges are certainly under current consideration within the

twinning action program but no decisions as to number, frequency or cost have

been reached.

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