2006 Melbourne projects
| Mariel Beros |
A proposal for a Pan-Asian Script Lab |
| Margaret Bounader |
Memorandum of Understanding between The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) and the Confucius Institute |
| Tony Davie | Leadership - A working perspective |
| Alexie Glass | Independence and Practice: Contemporary Art in Exchange |
| Anna Harvie | Cross Cultural Considerations - Intrepid Training Modules for Asian Tour Leaders working with foreign travellers |
| Kate Hastings | Victorian Public Service Asialink Networks (Vans) |
| Megan Hooton, Con Patralis, and Chris Spillane |
Emergency Services Youth Leadership Program |
| Michelle Isles | Regional Challenge for Sustainability: capacity building local action |
| Liz Knight | Developing banking partnerships in Vietnam |
| Annie Lam | Building Asian-Australian relations from the grassroots up |
| Jaya Manchikanti | Increasing collaboration between agencies to address the problem of family violence in the Indian community |
| Michael Ngo | Strategic people management - perspectives from Australian and Chinese organisations |
| Carolyn O'Brien |
Cross-Cultural Intelligence: setting a framework for effective communication |
| Nick Pelham | Rotary International & East Timor - coordination of projects |
| Vinay S Rane | Preventing Suicide |
| Elizabeth Toy | China - Melbourne Young Leader Development Program |
| Emma Wappet | Infertility & IVF: cultural similarities and differences in patient experiences |
| Alan Wu | The Queensland Forum on Chinese Australians in Politics |
Mariel Beros
Project: A proposal for a Pan-Asian Script Lab
Australian filmmakers have had few opportunities to work with their colleagues in Asia. Cultural differences and disparate work practices, not to mention restrictive trade practices, have made co-ventures rare. But there are now signs of change. Free trade agreements have recently been signed with Singapore and Thailand, and another is being negotiated with China. Government to government negotiations have also begun between Australia and Singapore, and Australia and China, to establish official film Co-Production Treaties.
While the co-production treaties will help to pave the way financially for collaboration in the future, more intervention in the form of training and networking initiatives is needed to overcome skills gaps and disparate work practices. One key craft area needing intervention is screenwriting. Preliminary research (desktop and anecdotal data) indicates that screenwriting has not been a priority in Asia, but that there is now interest in adopting Western work models that will enable Asian filmmakers to work internationally.
One proven way of addressing market failure in screenwriting is to offer residential training labs. This project will scope the establishment of a new Pan-Asian script lab designed to build the writing skills and international professional networks of writers, directors and producers from across Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
The first stage of this project will identify potential stakeholders and patrons in the region, establish their needs and capacity for financial contribution to the lab, and determine a legal structure appropriate for administrating the program. A program outline and a draft budget will be prepared, and potential sponsors/financiers will be approached. It is hoped that the first call for applications for the lab will be made in 2007.
For further information please contact Mariel Beros at marielberos@bigpond.com
Margaret Bounader
Project: Memorandum of Understanding between The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) and the Confucius Institute
Background:
The University of Melbourne has entered an agreement with the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL), People's Republic of China to establish a Confucius Institute at the University of Melbourne. The Confucius Institute must deliver certain basic programs relating primarily to the teaching and promotion of Chinese language and culture. The Confucius Institute in Melbourne will aim to provide advanced programs in the following areas:
- Executive programs aimed a senior government officials, the business community, and the higher education sector
- Applied research into issues of Australia - China engagement in the business and public administration sector
- Chinese traditional visual and performing arts
- Classical Chinese and Sinology
Austrade's mission is to contribute to community wealth by helping more Australians succeed in export and international business by providing advice, market intelligence and support to Australian companies to reduce the time, cost and risk involved in selecting, entering and developing international markets. In addition Austrade provides advice and guidance on overseas investment and joint venture opportunities.
Objective:
The objective of this MOU is to establish and formalise the conditions and arrangements that Austrade and Confucius Institute will cooperate to jointly develop and deliver workshops/seminars on China aimed at the business community in Australia.
Description:
Austrade and the Confucius Institute will jointly develop and deliver seminars/workshops to the Australian business community on "How to do business in China" and "Exporting to China". There will be several versions of the courses developed aimed at varying audiences and also including seminars conducted in Mandarin.
Tony Davie
Project: Leadership - A working perspective
The key objective of this project was to observe and study a prominent Asian-Australian leader in his working environment. This was to be achieved by spending a week with Melbourne Lord Mayor, John So in an effort to study three specific questions.
The project's long term outcome was to have the Lord Mayors office agree to accept an Asialink Leadership Program participant annually, to spend a week with the current Lord Mayor. This would enable a comparison of leadership styles over a longer period of time.
Alexie Glass
Project: Independence and Practice: Contemporary Art in Exchange
What is an independent voice? How can organizations in the South East Asian Region that aim to provide opportunities for debate and discussion partner to create networks for artists? What is independence in a climate of self-censorship and cultural misunderstanding? This project explores the possibilities for cultural producers to challenge prevailing ideologies in our region.
Independence and Practice will see exhibitions and residencies from 12 Australian artists occur in venues in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in 2007-08. Exhibitions and residencies including 12 Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian artists will occur at GCAS in 2008/09. The project will build on themes explored in GCAS's 2006 Octopus show to emphasise ways that individuals and organizations question and define themselves and construct independent positions that respond to and sit within a broader national and regional identity.
Applying many of the lessons and principles related to cultural partnerships discussed throughout the year in the Asialink Leadership Program, the aim of this project is to develop a framework from which to deliver the collaboration in 2007/08.
For more information regarding this project please contact:
Alexie Glass, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces
Anna Harvie
Project: Cross Cultural Considerations - Intrepid Training Modules for Asian Tour Leaders working with foreign travellers
Working in the experiential travel industry in Asia means Intrepid is constantly faced with cross cultural considerations as we are introducing 'foreigners' to Asian countries and doing our best to educate them about the cultures they travel in.
In the past 2 years Intrepid has begun creating companies within Asia - currently Thailand, Vietnam and India. This has lead to an increased number of local leaders working for Intrepid, an Australian company with Australian core values and operational styles, which are often remarkably different to local Asian travel styles!
These local leaders will be the 'Face of Intrepid' so it is very important that they are trained in what to expect from their passengers, and what they will be interested in/surprised by/and wanting to learn, along with way to deal with group dynamics and potentially difficult attitudes of westerners.
Not only is the information needed to train local leaders different to that of 'western leaders' but the style they learn with is different to that in the West, and English is a second language for them all.
My project focuses on working with the HR department to develop and modify existing leader training modules within the company, changing these modules so they are appropriate for local leaders. This has been done individually for three separate regions - South East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia predominantly); India; China.
Kate Hastings
Project: Victorian Public Service Asialink Networks (Vans)
The Victorian Public Service Asialink Networks (VANS) were established by previous alumni of the Asialink Leadership Program from the Victorian Public Service (VPS). The objective of VANS was to build upon the experience and developmental learning from the Asialink Leadership Program and develop a network of future public service leaders with the Asian cultural literacy skills to assist the Victorian Government in building more effective relationships with leaders in Asia. VANS would also help strengthen the relationship between the Victorian Government and Asialink.
Inheriting the leadership of VANS in its second year, this project provided an opportunity to start to tailor the structure and activities of the network to achieve practical and valuable outcomes for the alumni and for the Victorian Government.
VANS set out ambitiously this year to achieve the following outcomes:
- Coordinate regular meetings of the Asialink alumni;
- Identify other key, influential Asia experts across the VPS and explore opportunities to engage them with VANS;
- Develop a database of VPS resources for use by Asialink and VPS;
- Explore opportunities to develop the strategic alliance between the Victorian Government and Asialink;
- Develop a database of Asia-related events and visits across the VPS to support coordination of Asia-related activities;
- Develop this year's project proposal for the Department of Premier and Cabinet's (DPC) annual ongoing funding commitment of an outstanding future leader from DPC;
- Explore how VANS could leverage off its skills and the networks developed from Asialink to provide advisory support and representation where appropriate in relation to negotiations the Victorian Government has with Asian leaders; and
- Build relationships with key organisations with Asian interests.
For more information regarding this project, please contact:
Kate Hastings
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Tel: (03) 9651 1520
Megan Hooton, Con Patralis, and Chris Spillane
Project: Emergency Services Youth Leadership Program
Current research and consultation highlights that communities, particularly new and emerging communities, are often unaware and in some instances, highly distrustful of government support services. This is particularly true across Emergency Services including Victoria Police, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the Ambulance Service. To redress this situation the Emergency Services Youth Leadership Program was established as a forum through which to engage the community with Essential Services and the Services with the community.
A group of young adults from the Islamic community in the northern suburbs of Melbourne was identified as the target community for the Program. In collaboration with Migrant Resource Centre and through the Hume Community Centre young adults expressed their interest in participating in the program. The Youth Leadership Program primarily focuses on education and development of leadership within this community and having commenced in 2006 will extend throughout 2007.
The Emergency Services Youth Leadership Program is designed to:
- Identify and respond to the lack of trust and enhance awareness of the roles and functions of emergency service organisations amongst members of this community
- Improve mutual awareness and understanding between the community and Emergency Services
- Build relationships between the community and the Services
- Integrate the findings of the Youth Leadership Program with the Emergency Services' own education and training programs as a way of improving service responsiveness to diverse communities
- Act as conduit through which Emergency Services can access the wider community
- Promote appropriate referrals between Emergency Services, local government and members of new and emerging communities
- Create and strengthen long term, sustainable partnerships between the community and Essential Services.
Michelle Isles
Project: Regional Challenge for Sustainability: capacity building local action
Local government decision makers are well placed to lead their communities into a sustainable future with environmental, social, and economic benefits.
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability supports local action through international capacity building programs.
Local government members of ICLEI gain technical and political support to and draw on the international network for case studies and best practice initiatives.
International links between local government are often limited to good will visits yet have the potential to become partnerships that create tangible sustainability projects. Australian cities mostly connect with leading cities in Europe and North America due to perceived similarities in geography, culture, political structures and local economies. This project explores the existing links between ICLEI member councils in Australasia and builds the case for partnerships within the region.
Liz Knight
Project: Developing banking partnerships in Vietnam
ANZ has a partnership strategy to work with local banks in developing markets in Asia, leveraging ANZ experience with established local distribution networks to grow market share and introduce banking services. As an extension of an existing shareholding in Sacombank, we are working on a separate credit card joint venture, to improve access to international electronic payment services across Vietnam. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in July and we are progressing through contract discussions. In parallel to the contractual discussions we are supporting Sacombanks existing business to prepare for the introduction of new products and services.
Annie Lam
Project: Building Asian-Australian relations from the grassroots up
The key objective of this project was to improve the levels and quality of interaction between international Asian students and local Australian students. Students of the Australian National University were invited to participate in a series of activities, providing them with opportunity to interact closely and work cooperatively together.
The program sought to develop and nurture Asian-Australian relations in university, as opposed to initiating relations post-university in the work environment. This program aimed to assist students to develop cross-cultural communication skills that will be essential to their work, if not social, relations in the future. Having started in May of this year, the program continues to go from strength to strength, and the number of students participating continues to grow.
Ms Jaya Manchikanti
Project: Increasing collaboration between agencies to address the problem of family violence in the Indian community
An increasing incidence of domestic violence in Victoria amongst women of Indian origin has been identified by the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria (FIAV).
This problem cannot be addressed alone by the extremely under-resourced FIAV, nor is it felt that the Domestic Violence Outreach Services in Melbourne are sufficiently briefed to deal with the particular cultural issues facing this community.
This project is providing a bridge between the two agencies, assisting both the mainstream Domestic Violence Outreach Services in Melbourne and the FIAV to improve the lives of this at -risk group.
Michael Ngo
Project: Strategic people management - perspectives from Australian and Chinese organisations
Project background:
In an increasingly competitive and global environment, strategic people management, more than ever is hot on the minds of senior management. The continuing shift towards services in the economy places greater emphasis on people performance as a core company asset. This has given rise to critical questions ranging from:
- What are the changing needs of Baby Boomers and Generation Y?
- How to attract the best employees in a competitive marketplace?
- How to retain your high performing staff?
- How to identify and reward those that contribute to the company's strategic success?
Project description:
To explore these pressing questions, an exciting panel of experts from leading Australian and Chinese organisations across private and public sector were selected. Australia and China have essentially arrived at a similar junction from different perspectives and the key objective of the panel discussion was to share insights, lessons learnt and experiences in tackling these critical issues. The panel explored issues such as how:
- an effective performance planning and appraisal strategy has helped build critical organisational capability and transform itself into Australia's largest private health insurer
- the drivers of change are shaping the Australian public sector and why it is focused on talent management
- strategic human resources development for Senior Managers has propelled a Tianjin company into one of China's top 500 companies with 15,000 employees and total assets of about 413 million RMB
- a hi-tech organisation developed a culture of innovative to give it a powerful, competitive advantage
The interactive panel discussion was generously supported by RMIT, Asialink and The Nous Group.
For more information regarding this project please contact:
Michael Ngo, Senior Consultant, The Nous Group
direct: 8602 6205; mobile: 0411 439 781
email: michael.ngo@nousgroup.com.au
Carolyn O'Brien
Project: Cross-Cultural Intelligence: setting a framework for effective communication
The core of this project is the development of an introductory training course in cross-cultural communication skills for International Relations staff at The University of Melbourne.
Background:
Australian institutions operate in an increasingly internationalized environment and like many other Australian universities, the University of Melbourne's strategic positioning is directed at increased scholarly and research interaction in its region - Asia. The International Relations Office organizes and hosts visits to the University by numerous Asian delegations, as well as providing international policy advice and negotiating the University's agreements for cooperation and exchange within Asia. Effective cross-cultural communication is fundamental to the success of the Office's international relations activities with Asian counterparts.
Project:
The training course will provide staff with a valuable conceptual framework for working / communicating with colleagues and visitors from the Asian region. Despite the effects of modernization and globalization, research points to persistence of distinctive cultural traditions and values systems. This project draws on Leadership Program training with Margaret Byrne in cross-cultural issues, and will introduce the concept of cross-cultural intelligence with particular reference to value systems and communication styles in Asia and Australia.
The course will outline the different frameworks, which underpin cultural value systems - introducing core value sets such as individualism/ collectivism; particularism/universalism and issues relating to power distance and hierarchy. It will move beyond a 'do's and don't's' approach to develop a deeper understanding of the values / norms influencing behaviours, modes of communication and negotiation; and expectations.
In terms of impact, the project aims to assist the University's international professional staff in meeting the challenges involved in effective communication: specifically, to facilitate and gain maximum benefit from visiting delegations from the region; to further develop effective negotiation techniques; and overall, to develop staff competencies and Asia leadership skills.
For further information regarding this project, please contact
Dr Carolyn O'Brien
International Relations, University of Melbourne
carolyno@unimelb.edu.au
Nick Pelham
Project: Rotary International & East Timor - coordination of projects
East Timor made headlines in 1999 when the Indonesian President announced that a referendum on East Timor independence would be considered. In August 1999, a UN supervised referendum was held, where a majority of people voted for their independence. Between the referendum and the arrival of a UN peacekeeping force, approximately 1,400 Timorese were killed and 300,000 refugees moved in to West Timor as refugees.
Since the declaration of East Timor's independence, and becoming the 191st member of the United Nations, Australia has continued to support East Timor's development on a number of fronts. The Australian Government's strategy for development cooperation with East Timor has been based upon three priorities:
- a government that can budget for and deliver basic services to its people;
- a professional police force; and
- a legal and judicial system that supports law and order.
Rotary International is a worldwide organisation of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian services, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary has approximately 1.2million members, across 200 countries and 32,000 clubs. Rotary has four avenues of service, which cover Club, Vocational, Community and International service. The fourth avenue encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary's humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace.
Rotary International, especially through Australian clubs, provides a wide array of support to East Timor - from regularly shipping containers of furniture to Timor and undertaking major roofing projects in Bacau, through to hosting delegates and developing goodwill between the two countries. This project aims to gain a deeper understanding of the efforts that Rotary International currently undertakes to provide support to East Timor. Using this knowledge, the project will identify opportunities to use my experience and knowledge to improve or provide assistance to a project or projects of significance in this domain. It is expected that the outcomes of this project will focus on medium-long term projects.
Vinay S Rane
Project: Preventing Suicide
Attracted by high quality and relatively low cost secondary and tertiary education, student numbers from various countries in Asia have increased rapidly in our education institutions over the past decade.
Many of these young people come to Australia with hopes for a better future but are not protected sufficiently to deal with the hardships that come with living alone and often without sufficient economic support.
In the last 24 months, there has been a significant rise in attempted and completed suicide rates in this demographic. Apart from the tragic loss to families, these suicides have also caused enormous guilt and bewilderment for families and corresponding communities in Australia who feel they may have been able to prevent these tragedies.
Beginning with the Indian community in Australia, this project is working to link students with appropriate mentors/families on their arrival to Australia to provide regular community contact and lifelines in emergencies.
Elizabeth Toy
Project: China - Melbourne Young Leader Development Program
Chinese families in the middle classes are increasingly able to afford to send their students overseas to study at high school and university level. Some families can support their children for full degrees overseas, while others can support their children for one semester exchange programs. Over the last two years RMIT has seen a significant increase in the number of Chinese students from our partners undertake the one semester exchange program at RMIT. The numbers will continue to grow over the coming years.
The Chinese students are distinguished from the exchange students from traditional source countries in Europe and North America by their attitude towards the exchange and the opportunities it provides them. For the Chinese students an opportunity to study overseas is a very important part in enhancing their language skills, improving cross-cultural skills and understanding different lifestyles, as well as to prove that they can succeed academically in a different learning environment. The students are highly motivated and actively volunteer in student activities.
The students who come on exchange become the young leaders within business and government back in their home cities in China as their experience in Melbourne does give them an advantage in the job market upon graduation. RMIT will further provide its Chinese exchange students with an enhanced experience during their exchange by developing and delivering a development program that expands their understanding of Australian culture, law, and business practice. The program will also provide opportunities to meet and work with local and international students, developing social and future professional networks.
The program is designed so that it can be expanded by partnering with stakeholders, such as the City of Melbourne, to deliver structured learning and networking activities with the business community that increase their understanding of Melbourne's business, industry and cultural strengths.
The project is designed so that, at a minimum, RMIT can provide the additional activities to the Chinese students. Other stakeholders, such as the City of Melbourne, or business, industry group or organisation, will provide additional components which can deliver benefits to the students and to Melbourne in the medium to longer term.
Emma Wappet
Project: Infertility & IVF: cultural similarities and differences in patient experiences
Recent studies have shown that infertility - the inability to conceive at some point during a person's reproductive life after 12 months of actively trying to conceive - affects up to 10% of the world's population.
Much research has been done into the cultural perspectives & differences of this global phenomenon, from the difficulties faced by Muslim couples using donated sperm to the Chinese experience where infertile men feel responsible for not continuing the biological lineage. However, across cultures, it has been found that the experience of infertility and its associated treatment leads those affected to experience great isolation and feelings of failure. Infertility support groups have been established across the globe to assist in reducing the feelings of isolation and to provide patients with knowledge as a type of control where often patients feel little control over what is happening to them.
This project seeks to link Australian and Asian artificial reproductive technology (ART) patients by providing a forum where they can share their personal stories and experiences. The aim of the forum is to give the patients a better understanding of the similarities / differences faced by patients in the other location throughout the ART process. These differences may be in the protocols followed, the emotional impact of the treatment or the constraints faced. It will involve co-ordination between infertility support groups across the region.
Alan Wu
Project: The Queensland Forum on Chinese Australians in Politics
Despite a population of 70 000, Chinese Queenslanders are conspicuously absent from the Queensland political and governmental apparatus. The desire for greater political involvement and visibility has grown over the last decade, especially after the first parliamentarian of Chinese origin was elected to the Queensland Parliament in 2001.
The Queensland Forum on Chinese Australian in Politics is a one-day conference that will provide an opportunity for Chinese Queenslanders to develop a better understanding of the Queensland and Australian political and governmental system. It aims to generate greater knowledge, eagerness for discussion and involvement in Australian public affairs by the Chinese Queensland community, and greater awareness of the Chinese community and its values, concerns and aspirations amongst state and federal parliamentarians.
To be held at Parliament House with the support of the Queensland Chinese Forum and Queensland Parliament, the forum will include speakers from academia, state and federal politics and government (including parliamentarians, parliament house staff and public servants) and young Chinese Queenslanders involved in public affairs.
For more information regarding this project please contact:
Alan Wu
Australian National Commission for UNESCO
Mob: +61 433 125 469