Botscholar

INAUGURATION OF UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE – BOTSWANA
SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

7 NOVEMBER 2008, GABORONE

REMARKS BY THE AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER

MR PHILIP GREEN O.A.M.


DEPUTY MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, LEBONAAMANG
PROFESSOR TERRY LOVAT, PRO-VICE CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE
AMBASSADORS AND OTHER DIPLOMATIC COLLEAGUES
REPRESENTATIVES OF BOTSWANA UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS


DUMELA



IT IS MY PRIVILEGE TO BE WITH YOU HERE TODAY TO HELP LAUNCH A NEW AND EXCITING PART OF THE GROWING LINKS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND BOTSWANA.

AUSTRALIA AND BOTSWANA HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FRIENDLY COUNTRIES. BUT THE GROWING LINKS BETWEEN US GO WELL BEYOND A FRIENDSHIP, EVEN A CLOSE ONE.

THE LINKS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND BOTSWANA HAVE BECOME A SOLID PARTNERSHIP.

STUDENTS HAVE BEEN AT THE HEART OF THE GROWING LINKS. SOME YEARS AGO, GOVERNMENT OF BOTSWANA DECIDED TO SEND MANY OF ITS ABLEST YOUNG PEOPLE TO AUSTRALIA TO STUDY. AN HONOUR FOR US THAT BOTSWANA CHOSE TO SEND ITS BEST AND BRIGHTEST TO UPGRADE THEIR SKILLS. AUSTRALIA HAS BENEFITED; SO WE HOPE HAS BOTSWANA.

AUSTRALIAN INVESTORS BEGAN TO TAKE A GREATER INTEREST IN BOTSWANA’S OPEN MARKET, RECEPTIVE GOVERNMENT AND EXCELLENT LOCAL BUSINESS CONDITIONS. WE HAVE OPENED MINES, WORKED TOGETHER ON MEAT AND LIVESTOCK, DRY LAND FARMING AND RAIL SAFETY. AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES HAVE FOUND FERTILE GROUND IN BOTSWANA. SOME HAVE ESTABLISHED REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS.

THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS FOUND WAYS TO REFLECT THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP. YOUNG BATSWANA BEGAN GOING TO AUSTRALIA ON AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS LAST YEAR.

BOTSWANA AND AUSTRALIA HAVE MANY SIMILARITIES. LARGE LAND MASSES WITH SMALL POPULATIONS. SCARCITY OF WATER. PROSPERITY BASED ON THE LAND – MINERALS AND AGRICULTURE. AND A FUTURE BASED ON ENHANCING THE SKILLS OF OUR PEOPLES.

AS PART OF OUR GROWING PARTNERSHIP, THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN HAPPY TO SHARE THE EXPERTISE THAT AUSTRALIA HAS IN THE MANY AREAS OF SHARED INTEREST BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND BOTSWANA. MANY BOTSWANA DELEGATIONS HAVE VISITED AUSTRALIA, AND COME BACK WITH NEW AND PRACTICAL WAYS TO ENHANCE THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE OF BOTSWANA.

WE CONTINUE TO BE IMPRESSED BY THE APPROACH OF BOTSWANA TO ISSUES OF GOVERNANCE. BOTSWANA A BEACON TO OTHERS ON DEMOCRACY, AND YOUR COUNTRY’S CAREFUL ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT OVER MANY YEARS IS CLEARLY BEARING FRUIT.

FINALLY, AUSTRALIA AND BOTSWANA THINK ALIKE ON MANY OF THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS. FROM NATURAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE, TO CLIMATE CHANGE, TO REGIONAL INSTABILITY IN AFRICA - AUSTRALIA AND BOTSWANA FREQUENTLY SHARE PERSPECTIVES AND ARE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER IN INTERNATIONAL FORUMS. I PARTICULARLY PAY TRIBUTE TO THE STANCE THAT HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT, HIS HONOUR THE VICE PRESIDENT AND OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR GOVERNMENT PLAY ON THE DIFFICULT AND PAINFUL ISSUE THAT CONFRONTS THIS REGION.

TODAY, WE OPEN A NEW CHAPTER IN THIS GROWING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BOTSWANA AND AUSTRALIA. THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN DRIVEN BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE, TOGETHER WITH ITS COOPERATING PARTNERS IN BOTSWANA.

IT IS A PROJECT THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT FULLY SUPPORTS, BUT I WANT TO UNDERLINE THAT ITS GENESIS AND IMPLEMENTATION HAVE BEEN ENTIRELY THE WORK OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE. IT IS TO THEM THAT THE CREDIT SHOULD GO.

I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE PRO VICE CHANCELLOR PROFESSOR LOVAT AND HIS STAFF, NOTABLY DAVID WISE, FOR THEIR FORESIGHT IN PURSUING THIS PROJECT. IT IS A TESTAMENT NOT ONLY TO THEIR GENEROSITY, BUT ALSO IN THEIR CONFIDENCE IN BOTSWANA (WHICH I FULLY SHARE). NOT ONLY WILL IT STAND AS A NEW AND IMPORTANT THREAD IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND BOTSWANA, I AM CONFIDENT THAT IT WILL PAY DIVIDENDS TO THE PEOPLE OF NEWCASTLE AND THE PEOPLE OF BOTSWANA ALIKE.
I WANT TO THANK IN PARTICULAR HONOURABLE MOKALAKE FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF HIS BUSY SCHEDULE TO BE WITH US TODAY. SIR YOUR PRESENCE HERE IS MUCH APPRECIATED, AND STANDS AS A FURTHER REMINDER OF THE MATURE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES.

IN CONCLUSION, I OFFER MY BEST WISHES TO ALL INVOLVED IN THIS SCHEME. IN PARTICULAR, I TRUST THAT THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS WHO BENEFIT FROM SCHOLARSHIPS WILL ENJOY THEIR TIME IN NEWCASTLE; AND RETURN WITH THE TITLE “DOCTOR” TO DRIVE AN EVEN BETTER FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES, THEIR FAMILIES, AND THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF BOTSWANA.

BOTSWANA – PULA!
AUSTRALIA – PULA!
UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE – PULA!