Page 3983 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 17 November 2015
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In a meeting with the Australian government’s deputy head of mission, Ms Caroline Millar, I advanced the ACT government’s economic development agenda, particularly the key themes of the confident and business ready strategy and how it is relevant to building trade and investment links with the USA.
While in Washington, and as a clear statement of the ACT government’s intent to build stronger links with the United States, I announced the funding of a new Fulbright scholarship. The Fulbright program has a rich history and legacy, and is focused on educational excellence. There have been over 4,700 Australian and American Fulbright scholars supported in the commission’s 66-year history. The ACT Fulbright scholarship will support a Canberra resident travelling to the US, and a US resident to travel to Canberra. A critical part of the scholarship is for recipients to bring their applied learning back to Canberra, or for Canberra to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of innovative Americans.
The scholarship will be delivered in partnership with the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, which promotes education and cultural exchange between Australia and the United States, to strengthen the relationship we enjoy between both countries, and to foster bilateral partnerships and connections. The new ACT scholarship will be focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, which aligns with our goal of supporting Canberra to continue to grow as a smart and vibrant city. The ACT government’s partnership with the Australian-American Fulbright Commission is a fantastic example of our city’s engagement with the United States and our commitment to continue to position Canberra as an innovative global city.
Madam Deputy Speaker, then crossing a date line, by Monday, 12 October I was in Nara, Japan. It was my first visit to Nara as Chief Minister and I was pleased to be able to meet again with the mayor, Gen Nakagawa, who has visited Canberra on a number of occasions, to further strengthen our close sister city relationship, which has been in place now for 21 years. The mayor and I discussed our future priorities, including focusing on increasing tourism and trade opportunities, developing stronger business and economic ties, and continuing to facilitate the very strong educational exchanges between our two cities.
The Nara sister city relationship is based on a foundation of collaborative education and exchange. Continuing to foster school and sporting exchanges, as well as cultural festivals between our cities, is a very strong priority for the ACT government. The visit to Nara enabled me to see firsthand the value of our close relationship and we look forward to this continuing.
Not long after I returned, the Canberra Nara Candle Festival took place in the Canberra-Nara Peace Park, a much-loved venue in our city that comes alive each year for the candle festival. It is a further strong symbol of the friendship between our two cities. This year, 66 students from the Nara University High School, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, visited Canberra to attend and perform at the event and to spend some time in our local schools. It was wonderful to visit Nara, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the mayor to ensure that the fantastic relationship enjoyed between our two cities can continue.
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