Page 3982 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 17 November 2015
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On 9 October we visited Washington DC, where the main theme of the program was progressing discussions about establishing a formal city-to-city economic and cultural relationship with the US capital. It also provided an opportunity for me to host a roundtable organised by Austrade and the American Institute of Architects. Attendees at the roundtable included Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Portland, Oregon, a strong advocate within the US government for smart cities development; Mr Michael Dixon, General Manager of the IBM Smarter Cities Group, who leads IBM’s strategy and implementation for smarter cities and is also an Australian; and Ms Kristen Mitchell, the Director of Smart Growth, Design and Development in the Maryland Department of Planning. The discussion was very engaging and provided an opportunity to share insights on a range of topics, including public transport, urban renewal and digital transformation.
A meeting with the Secretary of Washington DC, Ms Lauren Vaughan, provided an opportunity to directly discuss and explore synergies between the two capitals and to consider the potential for a closer, formalised relationship. Given our cities are both home to national institutions, we recognise that we have a unique opportunity to enable our citizens to directly connect with the cultural, historical, democratic and political spheres of each other’s countries.
A closer relationship between Canberra and Washington DC could generate opportunities to advance cultural and education exchange. Both cities boast growing knowledge-based economies. As a result, our higher education sectors in both Canberra and Washington DC stand to benefit from a closer partnership between our two governments. Strengthening the connections between our two cities would provide an opportunity to encourage and support our universities to engage with each other and to build mutually beneficial partnerships.
Following the meeting with Secretary Vaughan, I met with senior officials from the Smithsonian Institution, including Mr Scott Miller, the Under Secretary for Collections and Interdisciplinary Support, and Mr Kevin Gover, the Director of the National Museum of the American Indian, to discuss opportunities for greater collaboration and cultural and educational exchange between Canberra’s national institutions and Washington DC.
Some relationships have already been established with some of our national institutions and the Smithsonian, including between the National Museum of Australia and the Museum of the American Indian. I was supported at this meeting by Mr Garry Watson, the project leader of the national capital educational tourism project, and Mr Craig Whelan, the President of the National Capital Attractions Association.
Together a strong case was presented for an inbound delegation of education and cultural leaders from the Smithsonian to visit Canberra in 2016. I must say, Madam Speaker, that the discussion was open, engaging and very productive. The opportunity to host an inbound visit is real and, if secured, would be a significant and tangible milestone in establishing greater ties between Canberra and Washington.
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