This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Scotland and the State of Victoria
14/03/2007
First Minister Jack McConnell and Steve Bracks, Premier of the State of Victoria, have issued a joint statement welcoming progress since the sister state agreement between Scotland and the Australian State was signed a year ago today.
A copy of the joint statement is below:
One year ago today in Melbourne we signed an agreement to create a new sister state relationship between Scotland and Victoria. Today we are celebrating that relationships first year of success. In the last twelve months Scotland and Victoria have worked together more than ever before, in areas ranging from health to tourism and the arts, and from social research to business promotion. These successes have deepened our longstanding links and provided real benefits.
As we look forward to agreeing a formal action plan later this year, we are also keen to see further practical progress. In the next twelve months we hope to extend our cooperation into new areas including fire services and futures research, to announce new cooperation between Scotland and Victoria on life sciences, and to see existing initiatives continue to grow.
Cooperation between Scotland and Victoria over the past year includes:
Invest Victoria have seconded a senior official to work at Scottish Development International (SDI) for 3 months to gain a better understanding of the role, structures, targets and processes of SDI and improve linkages to Invest Victoria for future collaboration;
Representatives of Scotland's Colleges and the Scottish Qualifications Authority have visited Victoria and identified a number of areas for ongoing collaboration and joint work, including in relation to young people not in employment, education or training, and Scotland's Credit and Qualifications Framework;
Scotland and Victoria are working closely together to develop a Tourism Action Plan, identifying potential areas for future collaboration;
High-level meetings have been held between the Victorian Major Events Company and EventScotland to share information and discuss case studies and models of managing events. The next meeting will take place in Scotland in August 2007;
Victoria has shared its expertise with Scotland regarding business opportunities that may arise from the London Olympics and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games bid.
A Victorian mission has visited Scotland to discuss cancer strategies including prevention and screening programmes, service provision and quality assurance with NHS Scotland clinical teams. The team also met with members of the Scottish Cancer Group, the SE Health Department's advisory body on matters relating to cancer;
Scottish Health Innovations Ltd, an organisation established to exploit intellectual property originating within the National Health Service in Scotland, has signed a licensing agreement with Compumedics, based in Abbotsford, Victoria, to develop and commercialise a new ultrasound technique which identifies and treats small vessel occlusion one of main causes of small arterial stroke;
Scottish Stem Cell Network provided a letter of support for the Australian Stem Cell Centre regarding a current review of legislation regarding stem cell research and development in Australia. Strong Scottish Stem Cell Network delegation attending the International Consortium of Stem Cell Networks Meeting in Cairns in June where further collaborative discussions will be scheduled;
The Scottish Executive and the State Government of Victoria have continued their collaboration over the PASCAL social observatory project, an alliance which also includes RMIT University, Victoria and the University of Stirling, Scotland. The project is enabling both sides to share best practice in areas such as lifelong learning, social inclusion and community regeneration;
The Scottish Book Trust, with support from the Scottish Executive, has staged a series of events, Voices of Scotland, at the Melbourne International Arts Festival;
The National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery of Victoria have recognised the excellence of their respective collections. They are engaged in productive discussions, and the National Gallery of Victoria lent to the NGSs very popular Van Gogh Exhibition in Summer 2006;
Along with Gavin Wallace, Head of Literature at the Scottish Arts Council, and Marc Lambert of Scottish Book Trust, Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature were involved in taking a celebratory performance of Scottish literature to Melbourne. Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature have also been in regular email contact with officials from the State of Victoria government, advising them on the UNESCO Creative Cities application process, supplying them with information on Edinburgh's application and generally encouraging and supporting a bid by Melbourne to become a City of Literature. This process takes time, and the contact with Melbourne is ongoing;
Writing the City: Scotland in poetry, prose and song is an event to celebrate Edinburgh's literary credentials and was performed at the Melbourne International Arts Festival by Edinburgh author Susie Maguire, musician Rod Paterson, and actor Crawford Logan. It was a complete sell-out and a great success.
Planned and possible future initiatives include:
Scotland and Victoria have held preliminary discussions about our respective approaches to tackling diabetes and will work together to host an international symposium on diabetes in 2008;
Reciprocal visits are planned between the Metropolitan Fire and Emergencies Services Board and Country Fire Authority in Victoria and fire officials from Scotland to learn about service provision in densely populated urban areas, planning for major events, responding to terrorist or extreme events and responding in hazardous environments;
The Great Book of Gaelic (An Leabhar Mòr) will be exhibited in Melbourne later this year;
Victorian performers and artists will continue to have a high profile in the prestigious Edinburgh Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Jonathan Mills, former Director of the Melbourne International Arts Festivals, is now Director of the Edinburgh Festival;
The Victorian Arts Centre Trust's high profile Kylie Exhibition will tour to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum at Glasgow from 21 September 2007 until 13 January 2008;
A joint proposal is being developed between the Universities of Melbourne and Edinburgh to establish links in the area of stem cells and neuroscience;
Cooperation between the Victorian Government and the Scottish Executive over Futures work and whole-of-government policy and strategy development; and
Future collaboration in the area of climate change, building on the work of the Scottish Environment and Rural Affairs Department and the new Victorian Office of Climate Change.
Background:
The sister state agreement was signed during the First Ministers visit to Melbourne on March 14, 2006.
The sister state relationship is for an initial period of three years from the date of the declaration, with an option to extend this after the initial period.
Premier Steve Bracks was sworn in as Premier of Victoria on October 20, 1999, and re-elected Premier in 2002 and 2006. Prior to becoming Premier, Mr Bracks held several key portfolios as a Shadow Minister - including Treasury, Finance, Industrial Relations and Employment. As Premier, Mr Bracks has rebuilt Victorias infrastructure and services while maintaining strong budgets and managing a growing economy.