CDU students ready to discover Indo-Pacific
Some 60 Charles Darwin University students will spend part of 2019 living and learning in countries in the Indo-Pacific after the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Julie Bishop, today announced almost $200,000 in funding through the New Colombo Plan (NCP) Mobility Program.
Ms Bishop made the announcement this afternoon as she led a delegation of ambassadors and high commissioners from 70 countries on a tour of CDU’s Casuarina campus.
The funding for CDU, totalling $194,700, will enable the undergraduate students to study in Timor-Leste, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Cambodia and the People’s Republic of China.
In welcoming Minister Bishop’s announcement, CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Maddocks said the NCP provided a unique opportunity for students to develop a deep understanding of Australia’s neighbours in the Indo-Pacific.
“The connections that are made are not only valuable to our students but, in the long term, they also help to strengthen relations between Australia and the host nation,” he said.
Since the NCP’s inception in 2014, CDU has received funding valued at $1.15 million.
Professor Maddocks said he was truly thankful to the Australian Government for continuing to support CDU students to undertake these life-changing experiences in the region.
The NCP is an initiative of the Australian Government that aims to enhance knowledge of the Indo-Pacific among young Australians.