Australian High Commission
Papua New Guinea

140522 - MR - Australia Week

21 May 2014

Australia Week 2014

The Australian High Commission is staging its eighth annual Australia Week from 24-30 May.

Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Ms Deborah Stokes, said the week highlights modern Australian culture and focuses on engaging with young Papua New Guineans.

“Papua New Guinea’s young people are its greatest resource. Australia Week is about promoting discussion, new ideas, creative partnerships and different ways of connecting youth with Australia.”

Sponsored activities this year include the PNG New Voices conference, art and music workshops, public art installation, film festival, live facebook Q&A, concert, essay competitions and a school debate.

Hosted by the Lowy Institute and National Research Institute, the New Voices conference on 29 May will provide a platform for PNG's young leaders in business, government, civil society and media from across the country to discuss and debate the big issues affecting PNG and its place in the world.

Australia Week guest speaker Tania Major will appear on a panel at the conference and participate in the recording of an episode of the Tanim Graun Q&A. Ms Major is Managing Director of Tania Major Consulting, a company whose goal is to serve as a catalyst for positive change across cultures in Australia. Based in Cairns, Ms Major was Young Australian of the Year (2006) and Young Australian of the Year (2007).

The Australia – PNG Network will be launched on 29 May. The network will provide a platform to build stronger people-to-people links between Australia and PNG, fostering links between businesses and creating an online space for collaboration.

Australia Week will promote discussion by hosting a live facebook Q&A with High Commissioner, Ms Deborah Stokes, on 27 May. An online survey will invite young Papua New Guineans to be part of the discussion about Australia Week and the PNG – Australia relationship. A televised schools debate on 28 May will match-up the best National Capital District debators to argue the topic: “Better leadership is more important than better funding for an idea to succeed’. The winners of two Australia Week essay competitions will be announced at the debate.

Australia Week will bring Melbourne hip-hop star Phrase (Harley Webster) and special guest R&B/jazz vocal sensation Jade Macrae for a huge concert at the Lamana Hotel with PNG’s number one DJ Akay47 (Allen Kedea) and rising vocalist Samantha Clark on 29 May. The performers will also share their talents and years of experience in the music industry with youth from around Port Moresby in a music workshop for youth at Vabukori Village in the Central Province on 27 May.

Australia Week will bring renowned young Melbourne-based artist Regan Tamanui to PNG to share his unique stencil-based techniques with young Papua New Guinean street artists. The work of Mr Tamanui (known as ‘Ha-Ha’) uses multi-layered stencils of up to 40 layers to reflect popular culture. In a partnership with the Keep Port Moresby Colourful campaign, Mr Tamanui will lead the young artists in creating works on canvas as well as a permanent public artwork from 28–30 May.

At the University of PNG, Australia Week will bring a ‘refuelling stop’ to students at the start of their exam week on 26 May. Students will also enjoy the latest in innovative, creative short films from young Australian filmmakers with a free public screening of the Flickerfest film festival on 27 May.

The Australian Defence Force will host a golf afternoon with its PNGDF colleagues on 28 May and AFL PNG will launch an extension of its Niukick program to Gulf Province, with the support of Australia, on 24 May.

Some important Australia-PNG development events during the week include the opening of a lecture auditorium at the Legal Training Institute on 30 May and a graduation ceremony at the Australia Pacific Technical College on 28 May.

The Australian High Commission would like to express its sincere appreciation for the support Australia Week has received from PNG corporate sponsors including the Lamana Hotel, Blue7Team, Dulux Group and Theodist.