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Australian Federal Election - 21 August 2010
On Saturday 17 July 2010, the Prime Minister announced that Australian Federal Elections will be held on 21 August 2010.
All Australians should be enrolled to vote. To check your enrollment status please check the Australian Electoral Commission website :
If you will be overseas on Saturday 21 August, you have a number of options available to you to cast your vote if you wish to do so.
You can lodge a postal vote application in Port of Spain, which can be obtained via the Australian Electoral Commission website. You should lodge your application early to ensure that voting materials can be sent to you and then returned before election day.
Pre-poll voting will be available in Port of Spain, at the Australian High Commission, from 9 August - 20 August 2010. The office will be open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday during this time.
You will need to know which Australian address you are currently enrolled at in order to be issued the correct ballot papers for your electorate. You can check this on the Australian Electoral Commission website: http://www.aec.gov.au
If you have any queries, please contact the Australian High Commission on 1-868-822-5450 or send an e-mail to Emily.Luck@dfat.gov.au and Ramona.Shah@dfat.gov.au
Blind Cricket: The W.I. v. Australia
On Saturday 17 July 2010, the Prime Minister announced that Australian Federal Elections will be held on 21 August 2010.
All Australians should be enrolled to vote. To check your enrollment status please check the Australian Electoral Commission website :
If you will be overseas on Saturday 21 August, you have a number of options available to you to cast your vote if you wish to do so.
You can lodge a postal vote application in Port of Spain, which can be obtained via the Australian Electoral Commission website. You should lodge your application early to ensure that voting materials can be sent to you and then returned before election day.
Pre-poll voting will be available in Port of Spain, at the Australian High Commission, from 9 August - 20 August 2010. The office will be open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday during this time.
You will need to know which Australian address you are currently enrolled at in order to be issued the correct ballot papers for your electorate. You can check this on the Australian Electoral Commission website: http://www.aec.gov.au
If you have any queries, please contact the Australian High Commission on 1-868-822-5450 or send an e-mail to Emily.Luck@dfat.gov.au and Ramona.Shah@dfat.gov.au
On Wednesday June 16, 2010, Australian High Commissioner, Philip Kentwell, hosted a reception at the Savannah Hotel, Barbados, in honour of blind cricket teams from the West Indies and Australia. Read More
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CARICOM
H.E. Philip Kentwell, Plenipotentiary Representative of Australia to the Caribbean Community presented credentials to CARICOM Secretary-General, H.E. Edwin Carrington on 30 April 2010 in Georgetown, Guyana.
www.caricom.org/jsp/pressreleases/pres197_10.jsp
www.caricom.org/jsp/pressreleases/pres193_10.jsp
www.caricom.org/jsp/pressreleases/pres192_10.jsp
www.caricom.org/jsp/pressreleases/pres191_10.jsp
Australian Leadership Awards Scholarships
The Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) Program has been extended to the Caribbean!
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) grants ALA Scholarships to develop leadership skills, enhance mutual understanding, knowledge and innovation, and build partnerships and linkages.
ALA Scholarships are now available to citizens of Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago. Read more
Australian Assistance to Haiti
On behalf of the Australian Government and people, the Australian High Commission expresses great sadness at the terrible devastation that Haiti has experienced as a result of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck on January 13, 2010.
In response to this tragedy, Australia has contributed $15 million to Haiti in the form of relief funds. $10 million has been designated for immediate emergency assistance and is being funded through the World Food Programme, the Red Cross, the United Nations’ Coordination Office, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and various Australian and international non-government organisations.
The remaining $5 million will be used for the longer term reconstruction of Haiti with this figure possibly increasing pending future consultation with the United Nations, CARICOM and CDEMA.
This contribution reflects not only the scale and extent of the tragedy, but also Australia’s engagement and connection with the Caribbean region.
Australia strengthens its relationship with the Caribbean Region
Media Statement - 30th November 2009
Australian Prime Minister the Hon Mr Kevin Rudd
Australia and the 15 member countries of the Caribbean community (CARICOM) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding today in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
This agreement will begin a new phase in Australia's relations with the countries of the Caribbean, with an emphasis on building regional economic resilience and integration and supporting small island states address the threat of climate change.
The centrepiece of the new relationship will be a $60 million development partnership over four years.
Many Caribbean states are vulnerable to the impact of climate change and natural disasters. The new partnership will provide a framework for cooperation on climate change adaptation, renewable energy, disaster risk reduction, natural disaster management, food security and agriculture.
The partnership will provide support to the CARICOM Climate Change Centre located in Belize and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency in Barbados to build capacity and draw on Australian expertise. It will also support the CARICOM Development Fund's activities in the region.
The partnership will also expand the new Australia Awards international scholarship program to the Caribbean. Eighty students from CARICOM countries will benefit from postgraduate scholarships for study in Australia over the next four years. The first Awards scholars will take up their awards in 2011. Education links will also be expanded through building ties between the Australian National University, the University of the South Pacific and the University of the West Indies.
The partnership will help to build Australia's links with the people of the Caribbean through an expanded sport for development program and the placement of Australian volunteers and technical experts in selected countries.
Under the new agreement, Australia and the countries of the Caribbean will maintain close contact on responding to international challenges such as climate change and the global financial crisis, including through the G20 of which Australia is a member. A key focus of Australia's support will be strengthening business opportunities through improving access to micro-finance measures to promote capacity and governance drawing on Australia's experience in the Pacific.
Australia's High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, Philip Kentwell, will be accredited as non-resident Ambassador to CARICOM.
Australia and the Caribbean have long enjoyed friendly relations based on shared historical, sporting, social and political ties and membership of the Commonwealth.
CARICOM's 15 members are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Brian Lara receives Honorary Order of Australia
(Pictured above), Former West Indies batting star Brian Lara, second from left, poses for a photo with his daughter Sydney, Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his wife Thérèse Rein after receiving the Order of Australia.
In an historic event, former West Indies batting star Brian Lara was presented with an honorary award by the Australian Government in a ceremony on November 29 2009, at the official residence of Australian High Commissioner Philip Kentwell, in Port-of-Spain. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who was in Port of Spain to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, presented the prestigious award to Mr Lara who becomes an Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia.
Rudd described the prolific batsman as a "truly great man" and commended his work as a mentor to young cricketers in the Caribbean and Australia. Mr Lara is a regular contributor to the Australian Institute of Sport and Queensland's Centre of Excellence at Griffith University.
Prime Minister Rudd acknowledged Mr Lara’s achievements by highlighting his historic world record (501) not out; highest score in test cricket (400 not out); the highest score off a single over (28), and until recently the greatest number of runs in a cricketing career.
(Pictured above) Cricketing great Brian Lara, H E Philip Kentwell and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the investiture ceremony in Port of Spain on 29 November 2009.
Australia and the Caribbean: Development Cooperation
In 2009-10 Australia will provide A$3.8 billion (approximately US$3.2 billion) worth of official development assistance. In the face of the global recession Australia is increasing its official development assistance, recognising the impact of the recession on the world’s poor.
Around one quarter of this A$3.8 billion is provided directly to multilateral organisations, many of which have significant programs in the Caribbean. These organisations include United Nations agencies, the Commonwealth and the World Bank. The Australian Government also provides development assistance directly to communities in the Caribbean through a number of different programs.
Australian Leadership Awards Fellowship (ALAF) Program
The ALAF program provides grant funding of up to A$35,000 per Fellow to host leaders or mid-career professionals for short-term specialised research, leadership training, or professional attachments, delivered in Australia. Fellows will ideally have an established relationship with a partner organisation in Australia, or the ability to establish such a relationship, as this is a requirement of the program. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis. The next round opens on 2 November and closes on 11 December 2009.
www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/alafellow.cfm
Human Rights Small Grants Scheme
This scheme provides grants to organisations that are involved with, and have a proven track record in promoting and defending human rights. Grants of between A$20,000 and A$100,000 for one-year projects (or up to A$150,000 for two-year projects) are available through a competitive selection process. Applications are due by 2 October 2009.
www.ausaid.gov.au/business/other_opps/humanrights_scheme.cfm
Australian Sports Outreach Program
This program is for grants of up to A$20,000 for community sport development programs, with a focus on increasing community participation in sport and physical activity. Applications close on 2 October 2009.
www.ausport.gov.au/about/international/development_grants
Direct Aid Program (DAP)
DAP is a flexible, small grants program for individuals, community groups, and NGOs engaged in development activities. Expressions of interest to the High Commission in receiving a DAP grant for a project delivering community development benefits are welcomed throughout the year. Each grant is usually less than A$8000.
Contact the Australian High Commission for more information
