ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/25/2003 10 November 2003
Australia-India hold dialogue on volunteering
Australia and India held a dialogue in New Delhi today to learn from each other on volunteering, a new avenue for cooperation in which both countries have considerable expertise.
"We are constantly looking to identify new areas of cooperation through which we can consolidate and extend the contacts and linkages between our peoples and communities. Volunteering seemed just such an area given our shared ethos of community service and recognised expertise," the Australian High Commissioner, Penny Wensley AO, said while addressing the gathering. She noted that Australia was one of the most active volunteering societies in the world and that India had a fine tradition of volunteering.
"Volunteering to help your community is not only an Australian or an Indian idea. It is universal. But in each community great ideas like volunteering develop differently - and these differences are where we can learn from one another," Ms Wensley said.
Ms Betty Churcher, AIC Deputy Chair and one of Australia's most eminent arts administrators, noted that volunteering enriched the life of a community - providing a range of diverse community services ranging from caring for senior citizens to gallery and museum guides to environmental programs.
The main theme of the dialogue was 'Learning From Each Other', with prominent experts and practitioners from Australia and India. Mr Sandy Hollway AO, the former CEO of the Organising Committee of the Sydney Olympic Games, and Ms Marie Fox, the CEO of Volunteering NSW, gave presentations on motivating and recruiting volunteers, volunteer resource centres and corporate volunteering to the dialogue. Sydney's highly successful Olympic Games involved a key contribution from volunteers. Ms Fox has a longstanding commitment to volunteering, and established the School of Volunteer Management in Australia.
The dialogue was organised by the Australia India Council (AIC), a sponsor of this event, along with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
AIC is a bilateral council set up by the Australian Government to increase mutual understanding between both the countries through promoting people-to-people links and institutional exchanges in a range of areas.
An AIC delegation is currently visiting India, including to Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Hyderabad and Mumbai in its efforts to promote bilateral ties. The AIC visit program includes significant elements on prospective cooperation in priority areas: the arts - including film, education, science and technology, health, sport and biotechnology and the environment.
For further information, please contact John Fisher, First Secretary (Political), on telephone 26888223, ext.197.