Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure I rise to speak today about the government's New Colombo Plan. For many years students have come from across the shores to study at our wonderful universities and institutions across our nation. Now, under the New Colombo Plan, $100 million over five years is being provided to help Australia's best and brightest undergraduates to live, study and gain work abroad in the Indo-Pacific region. It is a signature initiative of the Coalition government that offers a prestigious scholarship program. In addition to studying a wide range of disciplines, including language, culture, law, business, engineering and natural sciences, students build new relationships, develop valuable people-to-people links, and are exposed to many new experiences.

The foundation of the New Colombo Plan is intended to be transformational, deepening Australia's relationships in the region, both at the individual level and through expanding university, business and other stakeholder links. It will deepen Australia's people-to-people and institutional relationships with the region through the engagement of students, universities, businesses and other stakeholders' networks in the program.

The success of the pilot program for 2014, which supported 40 scholars, and more than 1,300 mobility students, internships or mentorships, has seen more universities and institutions participating, more undergraduates supported, and more countries being offered as part of the study experience. Since coming to government, the coalition government has provided for 4,500 Australian undergraduate students to study in and gain practical experience in more than 35 countries. By 2016, the New Colombo Plan will provide further funding to 38 universities to support 5,400 students undertaking semester-length, short-term study internships and work-based placements in the region.

Already, 186 Australian undergraduate students from the University of Western Sydney have been supported to live, study and work in our region. These are young, bright and dedicated students, who contribute to Australia's future engagement. This includes six students who have received prestigious, year-long New Colombo Plan scholarships. Timothy Mann, a 2014 scholarship recipient from the electorate of Macquarie, is currently studying biological and molecular biological sciences at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. Timothy will intern at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute.

The remaining 180 students have benefited from the New Colombo Plan mobility grants that support short- and longer term study, internships and practicums in the region. In 2015, 69 Australian undergraduate students will receive prestigious New Colombo Plan scholarships to live, study and work in the region for up to one year across 17 locations in the Indo-Pacific. The University of Western Sydney will send 10 students to India to undertake a four-week study program at the Institute of Foreign Policy Studies, University of Calcutta. This project supports the Indian government's Connect to India initiative. Twenty nursing students will travel to Thailand to study healthcare delivery in the remote districts. Fifteen social science, community development, planning and tourism students will travel to rural communities in Vietnam to examine issues relating to poverty and climate change. Among these 69 is Ms Charlee Law from the electorate of Macquarie, a student of the University of Western Sydney—or Western Sydney University, as it is now known—who is studying natural and physical science at the National University of Singapore. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms Law here at Parliament House in December 2014—a delightful young woman who was well deserving of her scholarship. Ms Law said to me at the time, 'I'm humbled by the opportunity to be part of the 2015 New Colombo Plan and would like to sincerely thank the Australian government for supporting such a wonderful initiative.' She went on to say, 'The New Colombo Plan scholarship will allow me to gain a rich perspective and firsthand experience of the achievements Singapore has had in this area.' Also at the event at the University of Western Sydney was Lakshmi Logathassan, who is to study political science and law at the National University of Singapore.

The New Colombo Plan offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help equip students with the skills and experience needed to engage the dynamic Indo-Pacific region. I thank all universities and institutions that participate in this wonderful program, particularly—from the electorate of Macquarie—Professor Barney Glover from Western Sydney University. I also specifically acknowledge Foreign Minister Bishop for having the fortitude and the courage to see this program through to fruition, built on her own experience. I also acknowledge her strong work in building and strengthening our relationship with Indonesia. She is an excellent ambassador for this nation of Australia.

Debate adjourned.

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