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Commonwealth Study Conference conducts ‘dry run’A two-day ‘dry run’ for the Gippsland Study Tour, part of the Ninth Commonwealth Study Conference taking place in Australia and New Zealand in October, was conducted last week. By Latrobe City Council - 11th August 2003 - Back to News The dry run was attended by the Conference’s Executive Director Secretariat, Brian Pickett, and Gippsland Group Tour Leader Matthew Richman.
Gippsland has been chosen to host one of fourteen Commonwealth Study Tour groups over a period of six days in October, with each group comprising 14 members from a range of Commonwealth countries. The study tours will conduct detailed reviews on the impact of the globalisation of industry and commerce on people and their communities.
Latrobe City’s Chief Executive Officer, Richard Hancock, said the ‘dry run’ had featured a number of meetings with key organisations and people throughout Gippsland, to ensure the format and content of the planned workshops and presentations was in line with the ‘People First in the Global Community’ theme, and explored the economic and societal results of globalisation and ways in which change had impacted on local communities.
"This residential Study Conference will bring together 200 future leaders, ranging from 26 years to 49 years of age, from over 40 Commonwealth countries. All are in their early to mid career and will be seen to benefit from the experience this study tour provides, and in turn benefit their countries," Mr Hancock explained.
Apart from Australians and New Zealanders, participants come from countries such as the UK, Kenya, Canada, the Cook Islands, India, and Malaysia.
Mr Hancock said Mr Pickett and Mr Richman had met with various organisations throughout Gippsland including Latrobe City Council, Monash University, Centrelink, Gippsland Coastal Board, Neville Smith Timbers, Gippsland Water, The Department of Human Services, volunteers in the community and various key members of the power generation industry.
"The meeting with Monash Gippsland for example, explored a presentation on the Education Precinct, with the Gippsland Study Tour participants likely to want to know how it is going to work and what effect it will have on the existing delivery of education services to the community. However the study tour leaders also indicated that participants would have an interest in learning about the University’s distance education program and the local effects as a consequence," Mr Hancock said.
"Another subject highlighted through their ‘dry run’ visit, was the balance of tourism, fishing and forestry in East Gippsland, how well the various sectors get on together, whether there are clashes of interest over issues, and in what ways they cooperate to promote issues."
Other issues the study tour group will investigate are domestic violence and youth homelessness, responsiveness to local change and growth,
Gippsland’s Indigenous community, water and waste management, urban renewal projects, social welfare, agriculture and environmental impacts, and the importance of volunteers in the community.
Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Graeme Middlemiss, said Council was keen for the Commonwealth Study Tour participants to learn as much about the region as possible during their visit.
"Conference members have a unique opportunity to learn from the experiences of people they meet here in Gippsland and from each other, how to manage change and find solutions to their own problems, Cr Middlemiss said.
"However, it’s not just a case of us showcasing the successes of our region, because the conference participants are going to be evaluating where we have got things right and areas where we can improve. It’s a two-way learning exercise and I’m sure that we will learn as much from their visit and experiences as they do from visiting us," Cr Middlemiss said.
"There are briefing sessions in Melbourne prior to the participants leaving for their host areas, and closing sessions in Sydney where each group reports back its findings and are questioned, using very intensive criteria," Cr Middlemiss added.
Mr Pickett and Mr Richman said they were very impressed with the format of the Gippsland Study Tour and commended the organisers for capturing the theme of the Conference. They were also impressed by the way in which Gippslanders approached their work.
The Commonwealth Study Conference participants will be hosted in Gippsland from 19-24 October 2003.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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