The New Colombo Plan (NCP) is an Australian Government initiative building Australia’s capability in the Indo-Pacific. It supports Australian undergraduates to undertake study, language training and internships in the region.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has opened a formal submissions process to inform the work of the New Colombo Plan External Advisory Group (EAG).
Across a decade in-excess of 40 Australian universities have connected with more than 2,500 educational and delivery partners to enable over 50,000 students undertake a regional experience. The program continues to systemically deepen Australians’ links to the Indo-Pacific and build a robust regional education ecosystem.
The EAG, announced here, is consulting the sector and experts on how to ensure future phases of the NCP remain effective and build national capability. They invite formal submissions to inform this work. Submissions should be no more than 1,000 words and address one or more of the questions below:
- Do the current strategic objectives of the NCP meet the need for Australians to increase Indo-Pacific capability and literacy?
- How can the NCP help increase Asian language learning in Australia?
- How can the long-term benefits of the program be rigorously assessed?
- How can the program use its alumni network effectively (over 50,000) to build sustained interest in the region?
- How can the NCP meet its primary objective of increasing Australia’s Indo-Pacific capability while ensuring participants come from diverse backgrounds?
- How can the NCP engage industry and support more private sector career pathways?
In preparing submissions the Koala encourages the colony to amplify contributions through (but not limited to);
- Collaboration with regional and program delivery partners.
- Voices of host communities in partner countries.
- Support of submissions by industry and business champions.
- Raising the voice of those in the arts, sports and cultural organisations.
- Engaging the international development and overseas assistance sectors.
- Ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation.
- Rural and remote Australia views.
- Youth led, youth established and youth advocacy organisations in Australia and the region.
- National and international professional bodies and degree accreditation agencies.
There are undoubtedly more… they should come from all the distant corners of our great nation. So, shout out to them, name and encourage them and make this one of the most ‘oversubscribed’ call for submissions in history. The value we place on NCP and the esteem we have for the program should be reflected in the number, diversity and intensity of the submission material generated for the EAG.
Stewardship of this natural treasure is beholden on us all.
NCP creatively fuses educational and diplomacy initiatives; placing young Australians into the region to uplift our national talent pool; these fine joeys (yes, baby koalas) are the accelerants of Indo-Pacific engagement. We don’t engage in this alone, it’s through partnerships. So successful and sustained design will be achieved through co-design; the space is open for regional partners to walk alongside us.
The Koala will keep on returning to the emphatic words of the Assistant Minister, whose speech notes… “Asia capability is more important than ever, it’s the foundation of all of the tools of influence that we are relying on the shape the dynamics that are changing our region”.
Messaging from Foreign Minister the Hon Penny Wong and Assistant Minster the Hon Tim Watts is clear and deliberate; that Australia’s interests require us to engage in the region with regularity, consistency and with greater depth. The vision of Government is to ensure NCP builds new skills and capabilities for people and that as a community we broaden our national understanding of and capabilities in the region.
Details on the call for submissions here.
Relive the Koala NCP EAG article here.
Submissions due by 5pm AEDT, Friday 1 November 2024 to NCP.EAG@dfat.gov.au
