New Colombo Plan celebrates five years of success

Senator the Honourable Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Professor Barney Glover AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, Western Sydney University,

Western Sydney University today welcomed Senator the Honourable Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs, to Kingswood campus to celebrate five years of collaboration and overseas educational exchange through the Commonwealth Government’s New Colombo Plan.

Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Barney Glover AO, said the University was proud to have supported the New Colombo Plan since its inception in 2014.

“The New Colombo Plan supports immersive student engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. It’s a highly valued initiative that sees students and host countries benefit from global learning, cultural exchange and new experiences.” said Professor Glover.

Between 2014 and 2019, the New Colombo Plan has supported 1360 Western Sydney University students take part in 95 mobility programs, with funding worth $5.5 million. Thirteen students from the University have also been awarded a prestigious New Colombo Plan Scholarship in the same period.

Professor Glover added, “The NCP is one of the most transformative educational, cultural and socioeconomic policy initiatives we have seen in Australia. As a mechanism for soft diplomacy, exchange and understanding, few policy measures match its record of sustained achievement. That’s particularly important at a time when we’re contending with a degree of economic and political uncertainty from a global standpoint.”

Joining the celebrations today were representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, representatives from the University of Newcastle, University of Sydney and Southern Cross University, Western Sydney University New Colombo Plan students and alumni, and members of the business community.

The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government that aims to lift knowledge of the Indo Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region.

ENDS

15 March 2019

Media Unit