The "New Colombo Plan"
The people of Australia are finally about to head to the polls. Whilst I am grateful for the opportunities being a citizen of Australia affords me, and full understand the role I play as a voter (and intend to vote below the line in the senate – just under 100 candidates in Victoria!), like many Australians I am well and truly over this election.
My state of mind has probably hindered me a little in addressing the one publically released policy in this election that has a significant impact on me in a professional context. I’m not talking paid parental leave, but the New Colombo Plan.
I thought given this policy relates not only to international education, scholarships, Asian literacy and soft power – I probably should give it a bit of a look. The Coalition policy - “New Colombo Plan” has been on the books for a while now, and I have taken a passing interest in its development. My key concern to date has been the name – which to me reeks of unacknowledged post-colonial influence. But perhaps that is too harsh, should I look beyond the name?
The available commentary seems to be pretty positive. Both Simon Marginson and Universities Australia are on board. The Liberal Party press release is predictably glowing, although does not link to the most important element of the policy, the Steering Group report, put together by the Menzies Research Centre.
The New Colombo Plan is a great idea. But it is not new. This is probably not a surprise. I think the steering group are quite an eminent bunch, and whilst they certainly know what they’re talking about, the idea of encouraging students to study in Asia has been around for quite a while. We have the Asia Bound Grants and Murdoch University has run the ACICIS program since 1994. Confusingly, ACICIS did not rate a mention in the Steering Group Report; especially given the Coalition is planning to focus initially on Indonesia. Also, rates of Asian language study in high school and tertiary environments have decreased over the last decade or so. I’m not sure that can be fully explained by funding changes, or societal changes, or a perception that you can get by with English so why stretch yourself? But if students are going to go to Asia and have a meaningful study and life experience, knowing the language is a pretty good place to start. The report does say that maybe those who don’t speak an Asian language can go to Singapore, which might mean a lot of students headed to Singapore.
But what played on my mind the most as I read the report was the Australia Awards*. The Steering Group report does not even mention the Australia Awards. It does talk of integrating some of the Endeavour Awards into the New Colombo Plan, and while this will avoid duplication it seems to leave the Endeavour Awards in an uncertain position. Perhaps this is a pointer, that the Australia Awards brand will not last long under a Coalition government, and we will return to the separate development scholarship, merit scholarship divide?
Alternatively, of course, they could set up a scholarships hub within government, similar to the Australia Awards that manages all of these different schemes. This might lead to useful cost savings, sharing of ideas, resources and best practice, and make life easier for other stakeholders, particularly institutions that recruit and manage students, both inbound and outbound, on these programs.
At this point, with the election just under 2 days away, this is all purely speculation, and in reality will not be making a difference to my vote. But there are a few issues that the New Colombo Plan raises, read in conjunction with other foreign aid policy indications, which lead me to questions about what role Australia Awards may have under a Coalition government. Certainly, it seems there may be interesting times ahead.
*Disclaimer 1: When the Rudd Mk1 government created the Australia Awards concept I thought it was a bit of a waste of time, and a good excuse to employ some marketers, but it has grown on me since.
Disclaimer 2: My sister is currently studying in Indonesia under a 2013 Prime Minister's Australia Asia Award. She also went to Indonesia on an Asialink Arts Management Residency, and studied for a year in Yogyakarta during her undergraduate degree through ACICIS. Really, she would be a good poster-child for the New Colombo Plan...