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ALP International Projects


ALP International Projects was created to manage Labor's relations with our region and the world.

Our mission is to build dialogue with our counterparts around the globe on central issues such as trade, encouraging economic growth in Australia and abroad, political and social rights, the environment, our conventional and human security needs, countering terrorism and democratic reforms.

Welcome to International Projects

Dear Friends,

Welcome to Australian Labor's International Projects website. Read about our historic election victory on 24 November 2007 and the raft of exchange, dialogue and training programs we have undertaken since the last bulletin. International Projects has continued to consolidate its position as a focal point of campaigning expertise, party-building and democracy assistance in our region. Kevin Rudd and Labor’s victory in November has provided added impetus to our international programs. Read about our recent projects here.

We report on the ongoing friendship with New Labour, founded on a series of cultural, historical and political parallels between the UK and Australia.

You can also read our report on the high level delegation of political party campaigners from Indonesia who undertook a study mission to observe the final week of the election campaign in New South Wales and Queensland. The mission focused on the key democratic campaign strategies of positioning and narrative. In particular, delegates were provided with an opportunity to observe at close quarters the ways that Kevin Rudd and Labor fought and won the campaign on a platform of building a world class education system, embracing the long-term funding needs of our public hospital system, meeting the challenges of climate change and water, building the infrastructure for a 21st century economy, balancing fairness and flexibility in the workplaces of the nation and ensuring that working families in Australia get a fair go - all while ensuring our economic prosperity continues. The visit capped off a year of intensive democracy building activities in which we provided technical assistance to the ten major Indonesian political parties.

Phil O’Donoghue, who had been an integral member of our evaluation mission to Papua New Guinea in 2006, was loaned to the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) for International Affairs evaluation team in Indonesia in September 2007. Following the success of Phil’s mission to Indonesia and building on the achievements of the past two years, Australian Labor has committed to provide democracy assistance programs to Indonesia’s political parties as they prepare for the 2009 legislative and presidential elections. International Projects will maintain its focus on providing multi-party training programs and individual party-to-party consultations on a range of issues to promote and strengthen Indonesia’s burgeoning democracy.

Continuing with this theme of multi-party engagement to strengthen democracy overall, we have launched two ground breaking technical assistance programs for the region. The first is a campaign and party-building school for women campaigners from Asia and the Pacific convened in Cairns in October 2007. Course director Lesley Clark reports in this issue on the success of that program. The first intake included women from Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Check back for details on our follow-up activities in the region in coming issues.

The second was the launch of the Political Advisers’ Course for Asia and the Pacific - a collaborative program with the University of Sydney’s Graduate School of Government. Established in June 2003, the Graduate School of Government (GSG) offers a premier learning environment for current and future leaders in public administration. Working with former Western Australian Premier Geoff Gallop, Professor and Director of GSG, International Projects has developed a course tailored to the specific needs of political advisers in Asia and the Pacific. We received over 100 applicants from all around the world for the 15 scholarship positions. Two positions were also offered to self-funding applicants.

Read about our new foreign affairs team led by Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith. Read an excerpt of Stephen Smith’s speech to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in which he outlines Labor’s priorities in foreign affairs. Bob McMullan is the new Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance. Duncan Kerr has moved into the new Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs position.

International Secretary Senator Mike Forshaw reports on his attendance at the 62nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, as a Parliamentary Adviser. Senator Forshaw contributed to UNGA discussion on climate change, human rights in Myanmar (Burma) and Darfur, UN peacekeeping operations and reform of the UN Security Council.

Michael Morgan

Director, International Projects

19 February 2008