Agenda of Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Item No. 6.1

Agenda (Open Portion)

Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Page 18

21/11/2019

REPORT TITLE: International Relations - Review of Current Relationships

REPORT PROVIDED BY: Economic Development Project Officer

Director Community Life

1. Report Purpose and Community Benefit

1.1. The purpose of this report is to review the Council’s current international relationships.

1.2. The benefit of this review is that the community are kept informed about the current status of the City’s international relationships, as well as the value they create locally.

1.3. This report has been written in conjunction with ‘International Relations - Potential New Relationships’ which is also included in the Economic Development and Communications Committee agenda for 21 November 2019. Each report should be considered in the light of the other.

2. Report Summary

2.1. The City of Hobart has four formal international relationships and one in development:

· Yaizu (Japan) established 1977.

· L’Aquila (Italy) established 1997.

· Xi’an (China) established 2015.

· Fuzhou (China) established 2017.

· Balibó (Timor-Leste). Resolution from the Council to make a long term commitment to Balibó (2018).

2.2. The Council on 1 April 2019 resolved inter alia that the relationships be reviewed.

2.3. This review has been conducted using the City of Hobart’s policy ‘Guidelines for International Relationships’ (Attachment A). This policy comprises nine criteria used to consider potential new relationships. The nine criteria will in this case be used to consider existing relationships. The table below is a summary of the performance of each city / village against the nine criteria. A value of red (R), amber (A) and green (G) has been assigned to assist with comparisons. Red means a weak performance in that category, Amber means an average performance and Green a strong performance.

2.3.1. The full consideration of each city against the Council’s guidelines can be found in Attachment B.

2.3.1.1. N.B. scores for criteria 7 have not been included in the totals because some cities would receive a zero score as they do not require humanitarian assistance. This is not a comparison of like for like.

2.4. Note that the Council on 7 October 2019 resolved inter alia to fund the development of an evaluation tool to measure the value of current and future international relationships. It is anticipated that this tool will be completed in early 2020.

2.4.1. It is anticipated that this tool will be useful in aiding continuing comparisons and considerations of relationships (new and existing). It is noted that the Council will still be required to make policy decisions about what kinds of relationships they want to support such as economic, cultural, knowledge exchange and philanthropic.

2.5. Summary Table

G = Green (strong performance), A = Amber (average performance),
R = Red (weak performance)

Criteria	Yaizu	L’Aquila	Xi’an	Fuzhou	Balibó
1. Clear identification of outcomes	A	A	G	A	N/A
2. Helps Council achieve its strategic goals	G	G	G	G	G
3. Creates value (economic, education, tourism)	A	R	A	A	A
4. Creates value (community)	A	A	R	A	G
5. Community willingness to support the relationship	G	G	A	G	G
6. Potential for mutual learning	A	G	G	G	G
7. Council’s capability to support humanitarian / capacity building	N/A	A	N/A	N/A	A
8. Council’s human and financial resources to support the relationship	G	A	R	G	A
9. Any political ramifications (Dept. Foreign Affairs & Trade)	G	G	A	A	G
TOTALS	4 x G 4 x A	4 x G 3 x A 1 x R	3 x G 3 x A 2 x R	4 x G 4 x A	5 x G 2 x A

2.6. The least active of the relationships is with the City of Xi’an.

2.6.1. The relationships with both Chinese cities have a five year break clause. For Xi’an, this comes up on 29 March 2020.

2.6.2. Although the relationship is relatively dormant, it must be noted that it has significant potential to generate outcomes for both cities, should it be adequately resourced from both sides.

2.6.2.1. Xi’an has a number of attributes including its heritage preservation, tourism assets including the Terracotta Warriors, status as the start of President Xi’s New Silk Road and as a location of a number of highly regarded educational institutions. Two key city stakeholders (Tasmanian Government and UTAS) derive outcomes from relationships with Xi’an or the Shaanxi Province of which Xi’an is the capital.

2.6.3. Alderman Thomas, Alderman Denison and Director Community Life travelled to Xi’an in September 2019 to discuss the future of the relationship with the Director General of Foreign Affairs Office of the Xi’an Municipal People’s Government. It was clear from the meeting that Xi’an would like to continue and grow the relationship.

2.6.4. The Director General suggested that Xi’an visit Hobart in 2020 to re-affirm the relationship. This would be a good opportunity to further discuss the positions of both cities and the future of the relationship.

2.7. Relationships with Yaizu and Fuzhou are active and produce outcomes for the Hobart community and so it is recommended that they should be maintained.

2.8. The relationship with Balibó is in its infancy. The City has committed to a long term relationship with Balibó and projects are being investigated that show the potential of delivering outcomes for both communities. For these reasons, it is recommended that the relationship continues.

2.9. Although the relationship between the cities of L’Aquila and Hobart is relatively inactive, there is very strong community support via the Abruzzese Association for the maintenance of this relationship.

2.9.1. Given that the city to city inactivity is largely borne from the earthquake in 2009 that destroyed much of L’Aquila, it is felt appropriate to continue to maintain and evaluate this relationship.

3. Recommendation

That:

1. The City of Hobart’s international relationships with Yaizu, L’Aquila, Fuzhou and Balibó be maintained.

2. The relationship between Hobart and Xi’an that is due to be renewed in March 2020 be discussed further with Xi’an at a meeting in Hobart in 2020.

3. Emeritus Professor Peter Frappell’s international relations measurement system be used to inform the annual appraisal of the City’s international relationships in April 2020.

4. Background

4.1. Council on 1 April 2019 resolved:

‘That: 1. The Council notes the potential pipeline of visits to Hobart’s sister / friendship cities over the term of the current elected members as detailed in the report listed as item 6.1 of the Open Economic Development and Communications Committee agenda of 21 March.

2. A further report be prepared that includes a strategic review and status updates of current sister and friendship city relationships.’

4.2. This report is a response to point 2 above (strategic review).

4.3. The City of Hobart has four formal international relationships and a fifth in development:

· Yaizu (Japan) established 1977.

· L’Aquila (Italy) established 1997.

· Xi’an (China) established 2015.

· Fuzhou (China) established 2017.

· Balibó (Timor-Leste). Resolution from the Council to make a long term commitment to Balibó (2018).

4.4. The Council’s decision making relating to new international enquiries is currently guided by the City of Hobart policy ‘Guidelines for International Relationships’ (Attachment A). This is also a useful tool which will be used to evaluate established relationships.

4.4.1. The policy includes nine areas of consideration:

i) clear identification of the specific outcomes sought from the relationship;

ii) relevance of the relationship in terms of achieving Council’s major goals as outlined in the Strategic Plan;

iii) the value of the relationship in terms of enhancing economic development, business investment, educational and tourism outcomes for Hobart and Tasmania, including specifically support for local businesses and educational institutions;

iv) the value of the relationship in terms of supporting community and cultural linkages;

v) willingness and capacity of the business or local community of interest to support the relationship;

vi) the potential for mutual learning through exchanges and information sharing to facilitate sustainability and continuous improvement in the development of the Council’s economic, social and environmental objectives;

vii) the capability of the Council to provide skills and resources to assist in humanitarian and capacity building projects;

viii) Council resources (human and financial) required to sustain the relationship to the satisfaction of both parties; and

ix) evaluation of any political ramifications through consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and local communities.

4.5. Hobart’s five relationships will be evaluated against the criteria listed in the policy above and has been summarised in a table earlier in the report (2.5).

4.6. It must be noted that Council on 7 October 2019 resolved:

‘That: 1. The Council notes that RMIT and ACELG (now ALGA) are not contributing academic work to analyse the qualitative and quantitative value of Australian local government international city to city relationships.

2. The Council authorises the engagement of Professor Peter Frappell to develop a robust system to measure the value of the City’s current and future international relationships.

3. The cost of the measurement system be no more than $21,000 excluding GST, to be attributed to the Economic Development Budget Function in the 2019-20 Annual Plan.’

4.7. It is anticipated that this measurement system will be delivered early in 2020. It is recommended that this system is used to further appraise the City’s current international relationships in April when the annual evaluation is conducted.

Yaizu

4.8. The relationship was originally borne from commercial origins, with Hobart being the home port for fishermen from Yaizu who fished for tuna in the Southern Ocean.

4.9. There have been 28 visits to and from Yaizu over the four decades which are a strong signal of commitment to the relationship.

4.10. The Hobart-Yaizu relationship is active and continues to evolve. The most recent event was the Children’s Day celebration held in the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in May 2019, attracting over 400 students.

4.11. This relationship generates strong outcomes in the education and cultural sectors and also has potential to generate economic outcomes. The relationship has strong community support both in Hobart and Yaizu and it is appropriate that it continues.

L’Aquila

4.12. The relationship between Hobart and L’Aquila was initiated by the Abruzzese Association (formed in 1987). Many of the first Italian migrants to settle in Hobart came from the Abruzzo region of Italy. L’Aquila is the capital of the Abruzzo region.

4.13. There have been nine visits over the duration of the relationship.

4.14. Although the relationship between the cities of Hobart and L’Aquila is relatively inactive, given the 2009 earthquake from which L’Aquila is still trying to recover, this is not surprising. There is strong community support and drive for this relationship via the Abruzzese Association which is an active community organisation.

4.14.1. It must be noted that the L’Aquila Council has recently had a change in personnel and the current officer has been responsive to Hobart’s recent correspondence. In November, the officer in L’Aquila supported a Hobart community member who is travelling to many places internationally (including two of Hobart’s sister cities) to observe the types of food young people are fed at school (Churchill Scholarship).

4.14.2. Mr Nicola Ranali who was President of the Abruzzese Association for many years and a founding member recently visited L’Aquila and expressed his disappointment at the lack of contact from L’Aquila Council. He brought back with him a letter from Ferdinando Colantoni who is the Council delegate for sister city relationships. This letter offered the use of an apartment in L’Aquila which could potentially be used to house a scholarship student or delegates.

4.14.3. L’Aquila also invited a delegation from the City of Hobart to the Celestiniana Perdonanza which is the most significant cultural event that takes place each August in L’Aquila. The Council will consider this visit in August 2020.

Xi’an

4.15. The relationship with Xi’an was established in 2015 and is underpinned by an action plan that was developed in partnership by Council officers in both locations.

4.16. During the relationship, six visits have taken place.

4.17. Key strengths of the Xi’an relationship lie in education. The friendship city connection has facilitated a sister school relationship between Hutchins School and the Xi’an Foreign Language School and visits have been made by students of both cities.

4.17.1. The University of Tasmania also has a strong and valued relationship with the Xi’an University of Science and Technology and is working to establish links with the Xi’an Conservatory of Music. Attachment C is a letter from the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global) in support of the relationship between Hobart and Xi’an.

4.18. Although the Xi’an – Hobart relationship has strong potential, it is relatively inactive with no identifiable local community support and little drive to date from Xi’an to deliver projects.

4.19. The delegation that travelled to Xi’an in September 2019 discussed the future of the relationship and Mr Qiang Sheng – Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Xi’an Municipal People’s Government. Director General Qiang expressed the desire to reinvigorate the relationship and suggested that Xi’an travel to Hobart to reaffirm the relationship in 2020 (March 2020 is the five year review point). Discussions are being had with Xi’an currently about when this visit might take place. It is proposed that the City expresses the desire to further discuss the relationship face-to-face before any reaffirmation takes place.

Fuzhou

4.20. Hobart was first contacted by Fuzhou in May 2014 inviting a delegation to Fuzhou to investigate a potential relationship. The Tasmanian Government was supportive of this relationship given the 38 year sister state relationship between Tasmania and Fujian (of which Fuzhou is the capital city).

4.21. A friendship city agreement was signed in January 2017.

4.22. Ten visits have taken place during the relationship (including the investigation phase).

4.23. The most recent event in the relationship was Fuzhou hosting a soccer team from Hobart in September 2019. The team took part in a ‘sister city’ soccer tournament and are hoping to invite a return visit to Hobart in September 2020.

4.24. The relationship with Fuzhou is active and the municipal government in Fuzhou dedicates many resources to its maintenance. A number of connections are active between Fuzhou and Hobart via schools and sporting clubs. There is also community support for the relationship in Hobart. It is therefore proposed that the relationship be maintained.

Balibó

4.25. The City of Hobart on 23 April 2018 resolved inter alia to commit to a long term relationship with the village of Balibó (in Timor-Leste). Officers were asked to consider potential projects that could be delivered in partnership with the Hobart community and the community of Balibó.

4.26. To date, the City has travelled to Balibó once (January 2018). Although not Balibó specific, veterans from Timor-Leste commonly take part in the City’s annual ANZAC events. The State also receives rural workers from Timor-Leste as part of Australia’s Seasonal Worker Program. Last season 214 workers took part and this season over 300 are expected.

4.27. The Council recently resolved to commit to a long term relationship with Balibó (April 2018). The relationship is therefore in early development with much potential to generate value in education, community development, knowledge and cultural exchange.

4.28. There is strong support for the relationship via the Honorary Consul Dr Nitin Verma and the Timor-Leste Friendship Network.

4.29. For these reasons, it is proposed that the Council continue to develop this relationship.

5. Proposal and Implementation

5.1. It is proposed that given the evaluation of the City of Hobart’s international relationships, the City retains relationships with Yaizu, L’Aquila, Fuzhou and Balibó.

5.2. Although the relationship with Xi’an has been fairly inactive, it also has significant potential. It is therefore proposed that the Council continues to communicate with Xi’an about a potential face-to-face discussion of the relationship in Hobart in 2020.

5.3. Should the government of Xi’an pledge to invest more of their officer time and resources in driving the relationship, there is a higher chance of deriving some meaningful outcomes for the City of Hobart.

6. Strategic Planning and Policy Considerations

6.1. Maintaining international relationships is in line with A Community Vision for our Island Capital as follows:

‘4.3.6 We value pilgrimage – the choice to explore places beyond our island. Those who stay elsewhere take our culture to the world. Those who return bring new experiences with them, which we can use to enrich and evolve our own.

4.3.7 We embrace those who have moved to Tasmania from elsewhere and work together for better economic outcomes. We welcome new people into our culture, quality of life and opportunities for meaningful employment.

4.3.8 We promote Hobart as a perfect environment for remote workers, sole traders, and niche small businesses.’

6.2. Relevance of the relationships to the current Capital City Strategic Plan 2019-29 is:

‘3.1.1 Support Hobart’s continued evolution as a creative and culturally engaging capital city, with a focus on community, accessibility and creative potential.

3.1.5 Support and deliver events, festivals and markets.

4.2.1 Support ways of welcoming people of all backgrounds to participate in Hobart’s economy and professional communities.

4.3.7 Support the City’s existing international relationships and respond to new opportunities in line with the community vision.

4.3.8 Develop greater community involvement in international relations programs.’

7. Financial Implications

7.1. Funding Source and Impact on Current Year Operating Result

7.1.1. There are no implications from this report for the current financial year.

7.1.2. In the current financial year 2019-20, the budget for hosting sister / friendship cities is $74,175 and visiting international cities (officer) $21,978.

7.1.2.1. Elected Members have an allocation of $6,000 for international travel in their four year term.

7.2. Impact on Future Years’ Financial Result

7.2.1. The recommendations in this report have financial implications for the Council in future years. The City as part of its International Relations Action Plan commits to visiting sister / friendship cities every two years. Estimates for visiting the cities are as follows and include flights, Elected Member allowances, flights, meals, accommodation, transport and if necessary visas and inoculations.

Yaizu	$3,425
L’Aquila	$5,750
Fuzhou / Xi’an (joint visit)	$5,900
Balibó	$4,580

7.2.2. The Council will note that Elected Members have a budget of $6,000 for international travel during their four year terms.

7.2.3. International relationships are managed within the economic development team which comprises 1.5 FTE. This represents 60 hours per week officer time. On average, per relationship, it is estimated that 8 hours per week between two officers are spent managing and developing the relationships to ensure they generate community outcomes. The City has five relationships which means 40 out of the 60 hours available are spent on international relationships (66.5 per cent of the time).

7.3. Asset Related Implications

7.3.1. None

8. Legal, Risk and Legislative Considerations

8.1. The nature of friendship / sister city relationships are non-binding.

9. Environmental Considerations

9.1. The environmental impact of air travel cannot be disputed. It is therefore important that as much value as possible is created for the Hobart community from each visit.

9.2. Given the City has two friendship cities in China, the most is achieved from the long haul travel by visiting both cities on the same trip.

9.3. Many of Hobart’s friendship / sister cities are interested in the City of Hobart’s strengths when it comes to sustainability. Lessons can be shared through the international links.

10. Social and Customer Considerations

10.1. In line with community vision pillar 4, it is of social importance that the City of Hobart fosters a diverse selection of international relationships based on geography, industry and nature of outcomes (community, culture, economic).

10.2. The City in establishing sister or friendship city agreements facilitates a broader local understanding and appreciation for different cultures and communities.

10.3. Fostering these relationships is also a powerful and respectful message to people within the community who have close cultural ties with the cities in question.

10.4. The community may question the value of international relations if the City of Hobart does not continue to continuously consider the way in which it measures and reports this information and involves the community in maximising opportunities arising.

11. Marketing and Media

11.1. Delegations to the international cities provide opportunities to tell stories and share learnings from the travel via social media / City News / the City’s website and via external news channels.

12. Community and Stakeholder Engagement

12.1. Key activities with sister / friendship cities are promoted in City News and on the City of Hobart website with the assistance of the Communications and Marketing Unit.

12.2. A number of innovative and interesting ideas in relation to Hobart’s sister / friendship cities have come from the community to date. It is therefore paramount that community awareness of these relationships continues to be increased.

13. Delegation

13.1. This matter is delegated to the Council for consideration.

As signatory to this report, I certify that, pursuant to Section 55(1) of the Local Government Act 1993, I hold no interest, as referred to in Section 49 of the Local Government Act 1993, in matters contained in this report.

Lucy Knott

Economic Development Project Officer

Tim Short

Director Community Life

Date: 14 November 2019

File Reference: F19/48002

Attachment a: City of Hobart: Guidelines for Future International Relationships ⇩

Attachment b: Full Appraisal of Hobart's Current International Relationships ⇩

Attachment c: UTAS Letter of Support for Xi'an Relationship ⇩

Attachment d: Signed Sister City Agreement Hobart Yaizu 1977 ⇩

Attachment e: International Relations Action Plan 2018 ⇩

Attachment f: Hobart-L'Aquila MOU 27/10/1997 ⇩

Attachment g: Friendship City Agreement Xi'an and Hobart 2015 ⇩

Attachment h: Xi’an Hobart Friendship/Sister City Agreement – Strategic Action Plan 2016 ⇩

Attachment i: Friendship City Agreement Fuzhou Hobart ⇩

Item No. 6.2

Agenda (Open Portion)

Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Page 83

21/11/2019

REPORT TITLE: International Relations - Potential New Relationships

REPORT PROVIDED BY: Economic Development Project Officer

Director Community Life

1. Report Purpose and Community Benefit

1.1. The purpose of this report is to inform Council decision making relating to new potential international relationships.

1.2. The benefit of this report to the community is that it provides background information relating to decision making around potential new international relationships. This report also considers the potential benefits of the relationships to the community.

1.3. This report has been written in conjunction with ‘International Relationships – Review of Current Relationships’ which is also included in the Economic Development and Communications Committee agenda for 21 November 2019. Each report should be considered in the light of the other.

2. Report Summary

2.1. Council on 1 April 2019 resolved:

‘That a report be provided to investigate potential relationships between the City of Hobart and cities in India, Nepal and Fiji and other countries with established communities in Hobart.’

2.2. This report is a response to the above resolution, providing an investigation into relationships in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Fiji, Canada, Germany, England, Nepal and Uganda.

2.3. The Council’s existing policy ‘Guidelines for Future International Relationships’ (Attachment A) has been used to appraise the potential relationships. Additionally, fit against the international strategies of key partners including the Tasmanian Government (Department of State Growth and Tourism Tasmania) and the University of Tasmania were considered.

2.4. A total of 61 cities or villages were considered in 25 countries (Attachment B). Twelve cities with a strong fit against the City’s existing policy and creating potential outcomes for key partners were shortlisted and further examined (Attachment C, D, E and F). These cities were grouped into four categories which indicate where their major key strengths lie. These are:

· Economic

· Cultural

· Knowledge Exchange

· Philanthropic

2.5. The 12 cities were further shortlisted with the place with the strongest strategic fit from each category selected. The four cities are:

Strength	Place
Economic	Incheon (South Korea)
Cultural	Kochi (India)
Knowledge Exchange	Southampton (UK)
Philanthropic	Jiri (Nepal)

2.6. It is noted that Council on 7 October resolved:

2. The Council authorises the engagement of Professor Peter Frappell to develop a robust system to measure the value of the City’s current and future international relationships.

3. The cost of the measurement system be no more than $21,000 excluding GST, to be attributed to the Economic Development Budget Function in the 2019–20 Annual Plan.’

2.7. Given the development of the aforementioned measurement system, it is suggested that the shortlisted cities are further appraised using this tool which is expected to be delivered in early 2020.

2.8. Should the Council decide to pursue any new international relationships, it is proposed that these should be based on what is identified in Council’s existing policy as a ‘friendship agreement’. This agreement would be time limited (three – five years) with clearly defined outcomes for both parties. Council’s relationships with both Xi’an and Fuzhou follow this model.

3. Recommendation

That:

1. The Council endorses the shortlisted cities of Incheon (South Korea), Kochi (India), Southampton (UK) and Jiri (Nepal) to be explored further for formal relationships.

2. Following further consideration, a report is brought back to the Council detailing findings.

4. Background

4.1. Council on 1 April 2019 resolved:

‘That a report be provided to investigate potential relationships between the City of Hobart and cities in India, Nepal and Fiji and other countries with established communities in Hobart.’

4.2. This report is a response to the above resolution.

4.3. Council’s current policy ‘Guidelines for Future International Relationships’ has been used as the basis of the evaluation of a number of locations globally (Attachment A).

4.4. The policy lists nine criteria to consider when looking at future relationships. These are:

i) clear identification of the specific outcomes sought from the relationship;

ii) relevance of the relationship in terms of achieving Council’s major goals as outlined in the Strategic Plan;

iv) the value of the relationship in terms of supporting community and cultural linkages;

v) willingness and capacity of the business or local community of interest to support the relationship;

vii) the capability of the Council to provide skills and resources to assist in humanitarian and capacity building projects;

viii) Council resources (human and financial) required to sustain the relationship to the satisfaction of both parties; and

ix) evaluation of any political ramifications through consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and local communities.

4.5. Additionally, the strategies of the Department of State Growth, Tourism Tasmania and the University of Tasmania were also considered.

4.6. Attachment B shows the high level appraisal of 61 cities or villages in 25 countries against the City’s existing policy and against partner strategies.

4.6.1. Twelve cities with strong strategic fit were shortlisted for a deeper analysis and grouped into four outcome areas:

Strength	Place
Economic (Attachment C)	Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala, India)
	Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
	Incheon (South Korea)
	Surabaya (Indonesia)
Cultural (Attachment D)	Kochi (Kerala, India)
Cultural (Attachment D)	Suva (Fiji)
Knowledge Exchange (Attachment E)	Freiburg (Germany)
	Southampton (England)
	Halifax (Canada)
Philanthropic (Attachment F)	Jiri (Nepal)
	Kitgum (Uganda)
	Khandwa City (India)

4.7. Each city / village has been categorised according to where its strongest potential outcomes lie. The categories are economic, cultural, knowledge exchange and philanthropic.

4.8. A summary description of each of the 12 cities follows. See Attachments C, D, E and F for the full analysis of each place against Council policy and partner (Department of State Growth, Tourism Tasmania and UTAS) strategy.

4.9. Please note that there appears to have been significant growth in some of the city’s multicultural communities over recent years. There are no projection estimates for these groups which means the most reliable data is of the 2016 national census. This is the population data referenced in this report. In terms of the census, international students are captured.

4.10. The top ten communities in terms of ancestry and place of birth are as follows. For all community groups (with more than ten people), please see ID Profile for ancestry and place of birth.

4.11. In terms of international student numbers for all levels of education, the most reliable and comprehensive source of data is the Department of Education. Monthly data on both enrolments and commencements is available. The data presented in this report is for enrolments as this gives an indication of a student cohort size at a moment in time. Please note that students can be enrolled / commence multiple courses whilst studying in Tasmania which means there is an unavoidable element of double counting. The data presented is for Tasmania not the Hobart LGA but it is fair to assume that the majority of students in Tasmania are based around Hobart with a smaller element around Launceston.

Economic:

4.12. Thiruvananthapuram or ‘Trivandrum’ (Kerala Region, India)

The Indian population in Hobart is the third largest by birthplace (595 people) and 9^th largest by ancestry. With a population of 957,730 Thiruvananthapuram is the largest city in the deep south of India, located on the far south west coast of the country in the Kerala region.

India is Tasmania’s 11^th largest export market and has been identified as a priority market for the Department of State Growth (DoSG) in its Trade Strategy. The city is notable for being an academic and research hub, with particular focus on science, information technology and aerospace. It is also home to India’s first animation park (IT – animation and gaming).

The city has a strong history and reputation for culture, literature, film and democratic governance and popular sports are cricket and soccer. The city attracts a number of international events hosted by French, German and Russian organisations and is a popular tourist destination for its proximity to beaches, hills, lakes and rainforest and for the city’s heritage, temples and palaces. It is home to a number of museums and a UNESCO listed biosphere reserve.

A new port is due for completion by the end of 2020 is currently being constructed by Adani Ports and it is in close proximity to important international shipping routes and hosts the southern headquarters of the national air force. The city is aiming for Smart City status in 2020, and has introduced a sustainable urban development program.

4.13. Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

As the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (KL) has a population of 7.7m and is a core hub of education, culture, real estate, media and finance. Malaysians are 5^th most represented by birthplace in the international Hobart community (515 people) and a significant number of those residents attend UTAS. Malaysia is Tasmania’s second largest export market. Malaysia has been identified as a priority market for DoSG, Tourism Tasmania and UTAS.

KL is the 6^th most visited city in the world with people drawn to its cultural diversity, low cost, food and shopping scenes. KL is the cultural capital of Malaysia with events including Kreative.Asia, the Malaysian Film Festival and gourmet food festival taking place against a backdrop of museums, theatres and galleries. KL has a champion basketball team and a focus on soccer, badminton and motorsports.

Although it has a low sustainability rating, significant improvements are being made through a number of large infrastructure projects underway to address this and the growing population.

Malaysia is of interest to UTAS as a potential destination for offshore programs, noting other Australian institutes have a presence there including Monash, Swinburne and Curtin Universities. UTAS has existing relationships with a number of Malaysian universities and is currently conducting market research to be finalised next year.

KL has nine sister city arrangements with locations in Asia and the Middle East, but no similar relationships with Australia.

4.14. Incheon (South Korea)

South Korea is the 11^th most represented country by birthplace in the Hobart community (223 people), with a significant number of residents attending UTAS.

It has been identified as a key market for the DoSG and UTAS and is the 9^th largest export market.

With a population of around 3 million, Incheon borders Seoul, and is home to the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI). Their Antarctic Program has existing relationships with Hobart, with regular visits from their icebreaker RV Araon, and delegate visits to the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD).

South Korea is of interest to UTAS for potential offshore programming, with market research underway to be finalised next year. Areas of industry experiencing rapid growth are biotechnology, cargo and logistics, and the port expansion. South Korea has identified the hydrogen or low carbon fuel economy as an area for potential collaboration with Australia which given Tasmania’s strengths in renewable energy could be a strong strategic fit.

Incheon is also home to Korea’s first cricket ground, built in 2014; Koreans have been playing cricket since the 1980s.

Incheon administers a large number of the islands off the west coast of the city and has 21 sister city relationships focused on Asia, the Middle East and the Americas, but none with Australia.

4.15. Surabaya (Indonesia)

There is a small Indonesian population in Hobart (0.1 per cent of the city’s population were born in Indonesia – 71 people).

With a population over 3 million, Surabaya is both the second largest city and port in Indonesia (after Jakarta). It is one of the cleanest and greenest cities in Indonesia and is recognised internationally for environmental sustainability. It is home to a large shipyard and specialised naval schools, and the Teluk Lamong Port Terminal is the first green port in Indonesia and one of the most sophisticated in the world.

Indonesia is Tasmania’s seventh largest export market, and has been identified as a priority market for DoSG, Tourism Tasmania and UTAS.

UTAS has strong links with Indonesia as a potential location for offshore education, recruitment and through the new trade agreement, as well as significant training and apprenticeship programs for the Indonesian fishing, maritime and shipbuilding industry. In addition, Incat has a very strong relationship with the region, currently building new vessels for the local coastguard.

Surabaya has 19 sister city relationships, but none with Australia.

Cultural:

4.16. Kochi / Cochin (India)

Kochi is a major port city on the south west coast of India, with a population of 677,381. Maritime activity based in Kochi includes the national coastguard and navy, shipbuilding, container transport and logistics, marina services, fishing, seafood exports, ferry passenger transport, international cruise ships, yachting and tourism. The city is home to a number of maritime and oceanographic research centres, and zinc smelting and manufacturing. Kochi is aiming for Smart City status in 2020 and has been recognised for sustainability initiatives such as the first fully solar-powered airport in the world, electric vehicle infrastructure, and waste management.

Kochi is renowned in India for being a progressive place or test bed for new ideas / policies. Kochi Metro became the first government project in India to place transgender people in positions based on qualifications with the motive of providing equal opportunities and initiating a change in public perception towards transgender people.

Kochiites are an important part of the South Indian culture and are rapidly becoming more cosmopolitan in their outlook. There is a strong arts focus in Kochi which has been hosting India’s first art biennale (India’s largest art exhibition) since 2012. Kochi also has a strong sport scene with a focus on soccer and cricket. Kochi was listed in Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities to visit for 2020.

4.17. Suva (Fiji)

Fiji is in the top 50 Tasmanian export markets, and there is a small population of Fijians based in Hobart (0.1 per cent of the Hobart population (55 people) were born in Fiji). As the capital of Fiji, Suva is a harbour city built on a hilly peninsular on the main island of Viti Levu and has a population of 88,271.

The city is a regional cultural and fashion hub with a diverse economy that includes shipbuilding, cruise ships and tourism. Links to Tasmania include ongoing naval training, mostly facilitated from Launceston, for several Pacific and Guardian-class patrol boats donated by Australia to the Fijian Navy since the 1980s, and the UTAS student exchange program.

It must be noted that in the late stages of drafting this report, it emerged that one of Suva’s four sister cities is Brighton in Tasmania. Officer discussions took place with Brighton Council and it was recommended that should the City wish to further investigate a relationship with Suva, discussions should be held with Brighton about the status of their relationship.

An alternative city in Fiji should the City want to investigate is Lautoka. Lautoka is second in terms of population to Suva. It is home to the largest sugar mill in the country, has a port for both cargo and cruise ships and is a base for timber milling, garment factories, distilleries and a steel works. Lautoka has been included in Attachment B (high level research).

Knowledge Exchange:

4.18. Freiburg (Germany)

Three hundred and eight people living in Hobart were born in Germany but 4.2 per cent (2,101) people in Hobart are of German ancestry. The country is in the top 20 export markets for Tasmania, for predominantly food and beverage products. Germany is identified as a target market for Tourism Tasmania and DoSG (as part of the European Union).

Freiburg is an old university city in the southwest, overlooked by the mountain Roßkopf (737m). It is recognised for achievements in sustainability, and prioritises issues such as recycling, solar power and new sustainable neighbourhoods. Freiburg is considered an exemplar city when it comes to integration between the university, city and community. For this reason, two UTAS led delegations including the City of Hobart visited Freiburg in 2016 and 2017.

Hobart’s Conservatory of Music and Dark Mofo both have established links to the city’s arts, culture and education programs, and the university’s strong international relationships are also of interest to UTAS. It has ten sister city relationships, but none with Australia.

4.19. Southampton (UK)

In the Hobart population, 41.2 per cent claim English ancestry, and 5 per cent (2,506 people) were born in the UK.

Southampton is a port city on the south coast of England near the Isle of Wight, with a population of 252,400. It has a long history of passenger shipping and is home to four cruise ship terminals and some of the largest luxury cruise ships in the world, including operator Carnival UK.

The United Kingdom (UK) has been identified as a priority market for both DoSG and Tourism Tasmania, and is in Tasmania’s top 30 export markets.

The city’s strong economy has promoted significant development, including the first waterfront skyscrapers. Their arts and music program is of interest to the Conservatory of Music and MONA and UTAS has recently initiated a research program ‘One Health One Ocean’ in conjunction with the University of Southampton. UTAS has an interest in the city’s universities for international relations and as a student exchange destination and is looking to the UK more broadly in light of expected increases in research investment in oceanography, maritime studies, the environment, cancer sciences, and sound and vibration research. It is also interesting to note that the Federal Government is positioning itself via the Australia-UK Trade Working Group to strengthen its trade relationship post Brexit via a free trade agreement.

Cricket, soccer and yachting are favourite sporting activities and the city hosts a number of maritime museums, festivals and one of the largest boat shows in Europe. The city is one of the lowest carbon emitting cities in the UK due to its reliance on geothermal power. Recent sustainability initiatives have focused on outdoor lighting, solar energy, and residential incentives.

4.20. Halifax (Canada)

There is a small community of Canadians in Hobart (163 people born in Canada). North America is identified as a priority market for Tourism Tasmania and DoSG and Canada is the 30th largest export market for Tasmania.

As a remote port city and one of the deepest natural harbours in the world, Halifax shares many geographical similarities with Hobart. The main industries are agriculture, fishing and forestry.

With a population of 403,131, Halifax is located on a peninsula of Nova Scotia and has a history of shipbuilding and maritime activity, including ocean research, naval services, and key events involving tall ships, theatre and music.

It is famed for the quality of its neighbourhoods and being pedestrian and bicycle friendly and is starting to feel the impact of surging tourism. UTAS has identified Dalhousie University in Halifax as a relevant model due to the integration of its three campuses within the city and the way graduates have driven research and development and attracted younger residents to the aging city. UTAS recently sent a delegation to meet with the university and city council.

Halifax has three sister city relationships in Japan and the Americas but none in Australia. Nova Scotia was identified as a region of interest for international relationships through the Mercury’s recent analysis by Bernard Salt.

Philanthropic:

4.21. Jiri (Nepal)

The Nepalese population of Tasmania has increased over recent years, with Nepali now representing the third most commonly spoken language in Tasmania (after English and Mandarin). Hobart has a population of around 176 with higher concentrations of the community residing in Glenorchy and Launceston.

With a population of 13,638, Jiri was once the only gateway to Mount Everest but tourism declined with the construction of a number of airports in other parts of the region. It remains a popular destination for domestic tourism and more dedicated hikers but is looking to revive the industry through developments like the Kalinchowk (3755m) cable car which opened in 2018.

To preserve the natural environment and promote tourism, Jiri is focused on developing into a green city and has introduced policies to ban plastics, control infrastructure development, and improve accessibility. Jiri has enjoyed an enduring relationship with Switzerland through investment in infrastructure, agriculture and tourism. This relationship and geographical similarities have led to Jiri’s reputation as the ‘Switzerland of Nepal’.

The city suffered major damage in the wake of the 2015 earthquake with almost 100 per cent of residences destroyed and has rebuilt with earthquake resilient technologies.

Nepal sits at 105 in the top export markets for Tasmania and is not identified as a priority market for the State generally. However having sent a delegation to Nepal in 2018, UTAS has some interest in the region for recruitment, and in the areas of agriculture, health and medicine. Nepalese student enrolments at UTAS for 2019 numbered 295.

The Lord Mayor of Hobart was approached by the Honourable Consul General for Nepal in NSW for a possible relationship with Jiri.

4.22. Kitgum (Uganda)

Kitgum has an urban population of approximately 44,604 and is located in the north of Uganda, near to Sudan. It is part of the Kitgum District, which has a broader rural population of 204,012 and is inhabited by the Acholi people.

The region has suffered social disruption, disease and many deaths at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgent group, which has been active in the area since 1987. The group is accused of widespread war crimes and human rights violations including mutilation, torture, slavery, abductions, rape, the use of child soldiers and a number of massacres. Current LRA activity in the region is described as low-level.

Uganda has a 94 per cent enrolment rate for primary school but only 57 per cent of those enrolled complete their schooling, with large gender disparities due to young girls dropping out to look after children and contribute to household income.

In many parts of the country, class sizes average 100 pupils. In the past five years a number of studies into ‘Nodding Syndrome’ have been undertaken in the region, an unusual neurological condition that has been observed among children. Late in 2007 the region experienced a Hepatitis E outbreak which caused hundreds of fatalities and was traced to unsanitary sources of drinking water. Some of the aid programs in the area are supported by Canada, Anglican Aid Australia and World Vision.

The Lord Mayor met the Honourable Beatrice Anywar in Hobart in 2019 when she was visiting to promote awareness about Nodding Syndrome. Beatrice represents the Kitgum Municipalty in the Ugandan Parliament. From this initial meeting officer discussions have taken place with Mr Moses Otto who leads the Acholi Resilience charity aiming to restore the Acholi people’s dignity, pride, wealth, health and education. Mr Otto lives in Tasmania but his parents were born in Kitgum. Mr Otto and the Hon Beatirce Anywar have followed up with officers a number of times about the potential of a relationship between Kitgum and Hobart.

4.23. Khandwa City (India)

Khandwa has a population of 200,738 and is located in the central province of Madhya Pradesh, known as the ‘Heart of India’. It is a major railway junction known for agriculture including cotton, wheat and soybean. The region was listed in Lonely Planet’s top three best value destinations for 2020, for its wildlife reserves, temples and small towns.

Khandwa is famous for being the birthplace of Saroo Brierley, who was separated from his family at age five and adopted by a Hobart family, as depicted in the book A Long Way Home and the film Lion.

In 2006 Khandwa was listed as one of India’s 250 (out of 640) most deprived districts, an indicator of national poverty levels, which is a significant issue for India. Khandwa’s location in a monsoon area and proximity to the Indira Sagar Dam mean it is susceptible to flooding. Energy is produced in the region through hydro and thermal power projects.

Shortlisted Cities

4.24. Four cities (one from each outcome category) were chosen for strength of strategic fit. It is proposed that international relationships with these cities are explored further. A rationale for this prioritisation follows:

4.24.1. Incheon - South Korea (Economic)

Incheon’s status as the home of the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) contributes significantly to it being selected as the top city from the Economic category. KOPRI’s Antarctic Program has existing relationships with Hobart, with regular visits from their icebreaker RV Araon, and delegate visits to the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). The City of Hobart supports the Antarctic sector by staging the ‘Opening of the Antarctic Season Reception’ each year, as well as being an active member of the Tasmanian Polar Network. A relationship with Incheon would further strengthen this position.

Incheon was designated a ‘free economic zone’ in 2003, the outcome being to transform the area into a hub for logistics, international business, leisure and tourism. It has a working port and has recently opened a cruise ship terminal. It is also regarded one of the world’s first smart cities. This level of development advances Incheon above Surabaya and Thiruvananthapuram which are earlier in their economic development. Incheon is seeking to develop new markets (culture, sport and tourism) and is looking to attract investment in biotech, robot drones, aviation and the hydrogen economy (low carbon). It is felt therefore that there would be more economic opportunities with Incheon.

It has been identified as a key market for the DoSG and UTAS.

There is a relatively small but active Korean community who would be supportive of a relationship with Incheon.

4.24.2. Kochi – India (Cultural)

Kochi is situated in the Kerala region of India which is regarded as one of the most advanced when it comes to social policy. It is home to the largest arts festival in India which places it above Suva (Fiji) in terms of cultural significance.

India has been identified by the DoSG as an area of focussed engagement (Fiji does not). Equally India has been identified as an emerging market by Tourism Tasmania whereas Fiji has not. Both countries are of interest to UTAS for different reasons.

Although the feeling of support for a relationship from both the Indian and Fijian communities is strong, the relative scale of the Indian community must be acknowledged in comparison to Fiji when considering a city to city relationship.

4.24.3. Southampton (UK)

The cities in this category have been difficult to rank as they have been similar in terms of strategic value. It was felt that Southampton had the greatest breadth of topics that might provide for a productive knowledge exchange compared to Freiburg and Halifax.

Southampton is North Europe’s largest cruise ship turnaround port. It has a strong maritime history and location of the Southampton Boat Show which has taken place for 51 years and is one of the biggest in Europe (links for AWBF). It is a ‘green city’ (working on a number of sustainability initiatives including energy storage, cycling infrastructure and building codes). It recently developed tall buildings on the waterfront (interesting data and knowledge for the City of Hobart around the decision making process). It is identified as a priority for focussed engagement by DoSG (Canada has not). Germany, UK and Canada have been identified as priority markets or of interest to Tourism Tasmania. All cities are of interest to UTAS but again Southampton appears to have the broadest variety (arts, music, ocean research, Erasmus international relations and international shipping).

In terms of community, there is no identifiable community group to represent the British in Hobart but this may be due to the size of the community 2,506 people born in the UK and 41 per cent of the Hobart population claiming ancestry. There are small community groups for both Canada and Germany. It is felt that the Canadian group would have greater capacity to support a relationship when compared to Germany but this would be limited to a small number of individuals.

4.24.4. Jiri (Nepal)

The need of each place for philanthropic aid will not be compared as clearly each place would benefit from assistance. In terms of selecting Jiri as the prioritised place in this category, this was based predominantly on the size and capacity of the local community and connection to Jiri.

It is clear than the Nepalese community has grown significantly over recent years (through visible events and business ownership) and it will be interesting to see the results of the 2021 census. Although it is smaller than the Indian population, it is increasing at a faster rate (census data in 2000 compared to 2016). The population born in Uganda and living in Hobart or with Ugandan ancestry was fewer than 10.

The President of the Nepali Society of Tasmania pledged support of the organisation for a relationship with Jiri. The suggestion also came through the Consul General of Nepal for NSW who has a strong connection with the Mayor of Jiri which would aid initial communications with Jiri.

Although the Indian Community (via the Indian Cultural Society of Tasmania) was supportive of relationships in India, there was not felt to be a strong connection with Khandwa beyond Saroo Brierley and his story. The support from the Hon Beatrice Anywar and Mr Moses Otto for a relationship with Kitgum has been very strong but is not representative of a community in Hobart.

5. Proposal and Implementation

5.1. It is proposed that the four shortlisted cities are investigated further (with both the local community and the city in question).

5.2. This shortlist can also be further appraised in early 2020 with Professor Frappell’s international relations measurement system.

5.3. Should the Council decide to pursue any new international relationships, it is proposed that these should be based on what is identified in Council’s existing policy as a ‘friendship agreement’. This agreement would be time limited (three – five years) with clearly defined outcomes for both parties. Council’s relationships with both Xi’an and Fuzhou follow this model.

5.4. An additional ten cities emerged as being areas of interest to the city but the strategic fit was not deemed sufficiently strong to merit a full formal relationship. For example, Punta Arenas is one of five global Antarctic gateways but similarities are limited beyond this. It is recommended that relationships with these cities take place at an informal officer to officer to level and are considered as situations arise. These 10 cities are as follows and are included in attachment B:

· Katowice (Poland)

· Punta Arenas (Chile)

· Portland (USA)

· Stockholm (Sweden)

· Reykjavik (Iceland)

· Busan (South Korea)

· Rotterdam (Netherlands)

· Tromso (Norway)

· Liverpool (England)

· Dunedin (New Zealand)

6. Strategic Planning and Policy Considerations

6.1. The fit of each relationship with the Capital City Strategic Plan 2019-29 has been documented in attachments C, D, E and F. Elements of the strategy that a number of cities would deliver against are:

1.1.2 Create opportunities for people to connect to place, supporting spiritual and cultural customs and practices.

2.2.2 Support and advocate for all people and communities to celebrate their histories and identities and encourage mutual understanding.

2.3.8 Enhance relationships with educational institutions and community-based organisations.

2.3.9 Support citizen science and other community contributions to knowledge and innovation.

3.1.5 Support and deliver events, festivals and markets.

3.2.2 Support arts and events as a means of story sharing and sparking conversations about ideas, histories and diverse culture.

4.2.1 Support ways of welcoming people of all backgrounds to participate in Hobart’s economy and professional communities.

4.3.7. Support the City’s existing international relationships and respond to new opportunities in line with the community vision.

4.3.8. Develop greater community involvement in international relations programs.

7. Financial Implications

7.1. Funding Source and Impact on Current Year Operating Result

7.1.1. No budget has been allocated to the development of new international relationships for this financial year.

7.2. Impact on Future Years’ Financial Result

7.2.1. As per the ‘International Relations Action Plan’ which is the working document that guides the international activities of the Council (Attachment G), a commitment is made to visiting international sister / friendship cities every two years.

An estimated cost for one Elected Member to visit each of the four shortlisted cities is as follows. For a full break down of the costs and journey times for the 12 cities, see Attachment H.

Destination	Total Costs Per Visit	Journey Time
Incheon (South Korea)	$4,943	20 hours
Kochi (India)	$5,204	20 hours
Southampton (England)	$5,698	33 hours
Jiri (Nepal)	$5,543	28 hours

7.2.2. Each Elected Member has an allocation of $6,000 per four year term for international city relationship delegations.

7.3. Asset Related Implications

7.3.1. None

8. Legal, Risk and Legislative Considerations

8.1. The nature of international relationships are that they are not legally binding. This would be detrimental to the spirit of cooperation that the relationships are trying to foster.

9. Environmental Considerations

9.1. The environmental impact of aviation cannot be disputed, with air travel contributing significant greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change.

9.1.1. Trips combining visits to a number of cities reduce the necessity for multiple long haul flights which is an economy of scale economically and environmentally.

9.2. A number of the cities presented in this report have expertise in elements of environmental practice including Surabaya and Southampton. Other cities such as Kitgum and Jiri would be interested to learn from Hobart’s strengths in this space.

10. Social and Customer Considerations

10.1. It is of social importance that the City of Hobart fosters a diverse selection of international relationships based on community, geography, industry and nature of outcomes (including economic, cultural, knowledge exchange and philanthropic).

10.2. The City establishing international relationships facilitates a broader local understanding and appreciation for different cultures and communities.

10.3. Fostering these relationships is also a powerful and respectful message to people within the community who have close cultural ties with the cities in question.

11. Marketing and Media

11.1. The Communications and Marketing Division prepare and circulate press releases during key visits to and from Hobart’s sister / friendship cities. They also support the relationships via the City’s website and social media.

11.2. A number of innovative and interesting ideas in relation to Hobart’s international program have come from the community to date. It is therefore paramount that community awareness of existing and potentially new relationships continues to be increased.

12. Community and Stakeholder Engagement

12.1. Discussions have been had with the following community groups:

· Fiji-Australia Association

· Indian Cultural Society of Tasmania

· German Australian Association

· The Canadian Club

· Nepali Society of Tasmania

· Acholi Resilience Charity (Uganda)

· University of Tasmania

· Department of State Growth

· Tourism Tasmania

· Multicultural Council of Tasmania

· Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania

12.2. Individuals within the Indian and Fijian communities have also contributed to thinking.

12.3. A number of groups and individuals have been approached recently but a response has not been received. These are:

· Malaysians in Tasmania

· UTAS Malaysian Students’ Society

· Korean Student Society – University of Tasmania

· Tasmanian Indonesian Cultural and Arts Society

· Saroo Brierley (Author, A Long Way Home)

13. Delegation

13.1. This matter is delegated to the Council for consideration.

Lucy Knott

Economic Development Project Officer

Tim Short

Director Community Life

Date: 14 November 2019

File Reference: F19/136969

Attachment a: Guidelines for Future International Relationships ⇩

Attachment b: Matrix Analysis of 61 Cities ⇩

Attachment c: Cities with Economic Outcomes ⇩

Attachment d: Cities with Cultural Outcomes ⇩

Attachment e: Cities with Knowledge Exchange Outcomes ⇩

Attachment f: Cities with Philanthropic Outcomes ⇩

Attachment g: International Relations Action Plan 2016 ⇩

Attachment h: Estimated Costs and Duration of Travel ⇩

Item No. 6.3

Agenda (Open Portion)

Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Page 147

21/11/2019

REPORT TITLE: International Relations - Timor-Leste Balibo Project Update

REPORT PROVIDED BY: Economic Development Project Officer

Director Community Life

1. Report Purpose and Community Benefit

1.1. The purpose of this report is to provide further information (costs and implementation plan) relating to the proposed project to be delivered in partnership in the Timorese village of Balibó.

1.2. The benefit of this report is that it keeps the local community informed of progress in the relationship between Hobart and Balibó. There are already a number of organisations, schools and individuals in Hobart and Tasmania working to improve conditions in Timor-Leste. They will be interested to hear of this project and the growing relationship.

1.3. This report provides more information about a potential project to be delivered in Balibó with the assistance of the communities in both places. An additional benefit to the community in Hobart is that they have the opportunity to be involved in a project that seeks to provide assistance to a place with needs when it comes to water and sustainable practices.

2. Report Summary

2.1. The Council has been investigating a relationship with a place in Timor-Leste since December 2016.

2.2. In January 2018 a small Council delegation visited Timor-Leste to explore the potential of a waste and recycling focussed project in the village of Balibó.

2.3. Following the visit, the Council in April 2018 resolved inter alia to support a long term relationship in Balibó and investigate potential projects for the community.

2.4. A report was brought to the Council on 3 June 2019 highlighting a potential project focussing on educating school children on the environmental issues associated with single use plastics and providing them with a non-plastic re-usable vessel to carry their drinking water. This project is based on the successful Bottle for Botol scheme that has produced significant outcomes in Indonesia.

2.5. The Council resolved:

‘That the Council note the proposed project for the village of Balibó in Timor-Leste, as outlined in the report marked as item 6.1 of the Open Economic Development and Communications Committee agenda of 23 May 2019, and a detailed report on the costs and implementation of the project be provided to the Council for consideration.’

2.6. This report is a response to the Council resolution above.

2.7. The aforementioned project has been investigated further and a total estimated cost of $143,971 to implement an education program reaching 1,636 children over three years has been calculated.

2.8. It is not proposed that this full cost be borne by the Council. It is anticipated that the cost of the bottles and workbooks be provided by participating Hobart schools at a total cost of $22,304 over the three years.

2.9. This report seeks endorsement from the Council to support the Timor-Leste Friendship Network stage sponsorship events to secure further funding from other community groups / local businesses / individuals in order to deliver the project.

2.10. This sponsorship event will be used as a pilot event which will be appraised as a means of supporting philanthropic city to city relationships. Note that the Council is currently considering philanthropic relationships in India, Nepal and Uganda. It is unlikely that the Council would be able to financially support such relationships without a partnership approach.

2.11. As a first step, it is proposed that a small delegation travel to Balibó to discuss the potential project with the community. Experience to date has demonstrated that the most effective means of communicating with the Balibó community is face to face.

The Honorary Consul for Timor-Leste in Tasmania will travel to Timor-Leste at the start of 2020 and it is proposed that representatives of the City accompany him. Nominations are sought from elected members with the cost of travel to be funded privately or from the elected member budget of $6,000 per four year term. It is further proposed that the General Manager or a nominee and a representative of Bottle for Botol also take part in this visit (funded by the Council).

2.12. Should the project receive support from the community in Balibó, it is proposed that sponsorship events is staged to enable the project to commence delivery in classrooms in January 2021.

1. 3. Recommendation

That:

1. The Council note the estimated cost of $143,971 for a waste education program reaching 1,636 students over three years.

2. The Council endorses a small delegation to travel to Balibó in early 2020 to discuss the waste education program with the community.

3. Council seeks nominations for Elected Members to travel to Balibó.

4. The estimated costs of $3,920 per Elected Member to travel to Balibó are noted.

(i) This is to be deducted from the Elected Member allocation for international city relationship delegations.

5. The General Manager or his nominee also attend alongside a representative of Bottle for Botol at a total cost to the Council of $6,927 derived from the Economic Development budget function from the 2019–20 financial year.

6. Subject to the receipt of a report detailing the response of the Balibó community to the proposed waste education program, the Council supports the Timor-Leste Friendship Network in staging sponsorship events to assist with funding the project.

4. Background

4.1. Discussions had at the Aldermanic workshop on international relations on 3 March 2016 led to the inclusion of the following action in the International Relations Action Plan first endorsed by the Council on 9 May 2016.

“5.2. Commence investigations into a community development based relationship with a city in the Asia Pacific Region”

4.2. Investigations into a relationship commenced and a report was presented to EDCC on 1 December 2016. The report looked at 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region and recommended that further research was conducted on a short list of four countries, based on evaluation against a number of criteria including GDP per capita and Hobart community connections.

4.3. The Council resolved not to further examine the four countries, instead it was resolved:

That Council officers further investigate a community development based relationship with Timor Leste and a further report be sought outlining the steps to progress such a relationship.

4.4. Discussions were had with the Timor-Leste Friendship Network and the Ambassador for Timor-Leste in Australia. The village of Balibó was suggested as needing assistance in the area of waste and recycling in which the City has particular expertise.

4.5. Following extensive desk research, the next appropriate step was to meet the community in Balibó and discuss the potential of a relationship with Hobart and a waste and recycling based project. Council on 4 December 2017 resolved:

‘That 1. The Council support a small delegation, with the Committee nominating Alderman Burnet and Alderman Harvey, and two officers, to visit Timor-Leste, and specifically Balibó, to investigate the potential of a relationship and a collaborative waste and recycling project.

2. This small delegation visit Timor-Leste with Dr Nitin Verma, Honorary Consul to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in Tasmania at the end of January 2018.

3. The General Manager be authorised to select appropriate officers to accompany the delegation.

4. The costs associated with this visit to be attributed to the Economic Development Function of the 2017/2018 Annual Plan.’

4.6. It was apparent on visiting Balibó that discarded waste was a significant issue. Following discussions with the community however, lack of access to clean water was also voiced as a concern.

4.7. A project to aid the Balibó community with their water availability and quality issues is being led by the Crawford Fund chaired in Tasmania by Mr Richard Warner. The Crawford Fund is a not-for-profit organisation that ‘…raises awareness of the benefits to Australia and developing countries of Australia’s engagement in international agricultural research and development….’

4.8. The Crawford Fund visited Balibó in September 2018 to investigate the community’s water issues. They concluded that given the topography of the land and the annual rainfall water is available through the year, although many of the community currently do not have access to it.

4.8.1. The Crawford Fund also observed that there was a water pump in the village that was not fit for purpose and raised funds to replace this. They will be returning to the village to replace the pump in the very near future, as well as conducting microbiological testing of the water, to assess its quality.

4.9. They have also collaborated with the Balibó House Trust (BHT) that has secured funding for six filtration devices (SkyHydrants) for the village.

4.9.1. The BHT was established by the Victorian Government in 2002 to purchase and refurbish the Balibó House so it could be handed back to the local people as a learning centre. Balibó House was the site where five Australian journalists were murdered by Indonesian forces in 1975, the start of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. The Trust has achieved this any many projects since, including:

· Development of the Balibó Fort Hotel and event centre to employ local people.

· Construction of the Balibó Dental Clinic to employ local people and provide dental care for the community.

· Improved the Balibó kindergarten building.

· Built a prep to grade 2 school (opened in March 2019).

4.10. The Crawford Fund has leveraged the expertise necessary to evaluate the water issues in Balibó and start tackling them alongside on the ground partners the Balibó House Trust. This has laid the foundations for the City of Hobart to deliver outcomes in waste and recycling which is more in line with where the City’s expertise lies.

4.11. On walking around the village of Balibó, there was an abundance of litter. This was largely plastic and was either still intact or had been burned. On the school grounds were a concentration of single use plastic cups, complete with plastic straw and plastic film over the top of the cup. Because the availability and quality of water in the village is not adequate, children who can afford it drink water from the single use plastic cups which are then discarded.

4.12. It is proposed that the City of Hobart leads the delivery of a project in Balibó that educates village children in school about the environmental impacts of single use plastics whilst providing them with an alternative. This alternative would be a decorative steel bottle with potentially a storage facility for the bottle at school for each child.

4.13. One of the major aspects of the project would be Hobart community involvement. Local Hobart schools wishing to partake and to forge links with local schools in Balibó will purchase re-usable steel bottles for their students which will fund the supply of a bottle for Balibó students. Other organisations, businesses and individuals in the Hobart community would also be called upon to assist with sponsorship of this project.

Project Supporters -

The Crawford Fund

4.14. The Crawford Fund has provided the expertise and some funding to secure the availability and quality of water.

Balibó House Trust (BHT)

4.15. The BHT is well placed to assist with this project given the experience they have had in the village for 17 years. Additionally through Palms Australia there are two Australian volunteers working in Balibó who also assist with Trust work, one of whom has already volunteered in Balibó for two years and is there for a further two and the other who will be in Balibó for one year.

4.16. The Trust has recently built a prep to grade 2 school that opened in March 2019. This could be one of the locations for the project as it has a water supply from a nearby spring and a water tank.

4.17. The Trust is involved in projects seeking to address dental hygiene, particularly in schools. One of the biggest barriers to their projects is students not having a place to store their toothbrushes. They have suggested that the new school could provide a storage space for each student to house both their steel bottle and toothbrush.

Project Partners

City of Hobart

4.18. The City of Hobart is the project leader. It is anticipated that subject to Council approval, the City will contribute funds and officer time to enable the delivery of this project.

4.19. The City of Hobart will also link the Hobart community to the project by assisting with recruiting local schools to take part and using its media channels to promote local knowledge of the initiative. Local schools will be able to connect with Balibó by funding bottles for their students which will provide the equivalent number of re-usable steel bottles in Balibó. Each bottle is accompanied by a personal note from the sponsoring student in Hobart. It is also anticipated that Hobart schools will fund the exercise books required by the Timorese students in their program of study.

Timor-Leste Friendship Network (TLFN)

4.20. The Hobart East Timor Committee (HETC) - now the Timor-Leste Friendship Network has a long and active history of supporting Timor-Leste. It took action to defend the independence of East Timor when Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and occupied the country for 23 years. The HETC actions engaged the Australian Government and political leaders to defend and restore independence to a nation and people who had historically defended Australia’s security and independence. The HETC was awarded the Order of Timor-Leste medal to acknowledge the significance of their efforts in assisting Timor-Leste in 2016.

4.21. The Timor-Leste Friendship Network today is a key organisation in Tasmania and one that asked the Council to consider a relationship with the village of Balibó. This organisation will lead in the efforts to secure sponsorship to enable the delivery of the project, supported by the City of Hobart.

Bottle for Botol (BfB)

4.22. ‘Bottle for Botol’ (BfB) has a strong history of delivering the kind of project proposed for Balibó in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a charity that seeks to educate students about plastic pollution and provide an alternative to single use plastic bottles.

4.23. BfB normally commits to a school for three years ensuring an uptake across multiple school years to ensure cultural change. A teacher is recruited by BfB for one day per week. They learn the program and then teach other local teachers how to deliver the program and act as a support for them. The program consists of eight lessons which are science based and centre around explaining why plastic is not good for the oceans. The employed teacher will visit each of the participating schools and assist the school teacher with two out of the eight lessons.

4.24. Bottle for Botol from June 2013 – June 2018 has achieved the following:

· 17 Indonesian schools have participated in BfB’s education program.

· 19 Australian schools have fundraised and supported schools in Indonesia.

· 3,971 reusable stainless-steel water bottles have been donated to Indonesian teachers and students and volunteers at events.

· 25 water refill stations have been provided to schools.

· 26 education workshops have been delivered to Indonesian teachers.

· At the pilot school alone, 159,778 single use plastic cups have been prevented from entering the waste stream to date.

4.25. Dr Catherine Elliott was the program manager of BfB in Indonesia for two years. She is now based in Hobart and works for another organisation as well as volunteering for BfB. She has been able to provide extensive operational information about the way the program works and also is fluent in Bahasa which is spoken widely in Timor-Leste. It is expected that Dr Elliott or Christine Parfitt (Founder and Managing Director of Bottle for Botol) would travel to Balibó with the Council delegation in early 2020.

Hobart Schools

4.26. It is proposed that potential partner schools are invited to the sponsor event in Hobart at which full project information would be shared. Bottle for Botol works on the premise that students in Australia purchase bottles which in turn provides an equal number of bottles in partner schools in Indonesia (in this case Timor-Leste).

Corporate Sponsors

4.27. It is proposed that corporate / individual sponsors of the project are also pursued as a means of lessening the direct cost to the City of Hobart. This would occur at the proposed sponsor event.

5. Proposal and Implementation

5.1. It is proposed that a program of education is delivered in Balibó over three years.

Year 1 (January 2020 – December 2020): meet with Balibó community to discuss the project, raise sponsorship in Hobart, adapt training program and train local Balibó teacher.

Year 2 (January – December 2021): program at 2 primary schools (grades 4-6) = 398 students.

Year 3 (January – December 2022): program at 2 primary schools (grades 3-4) = 245 students. Program also at junior high school (grades 7 and 8) = 324 students. Total students = 569 students.

Year 4 (January – December 2023): program at 2 primary schools (grades 1-3) = 333 students. Program also at senior high school (grades 10-12) = 336. Total students = 669.

Total students engaged over three years = 1,636 based on current 2019 numbers.

YEAR 1 (2020)

STEP 1: Discussions with the Balibó community – January 2020

5.2. It is proposed that the first step in advancing this potential project would be to discuss it with the community in Balibó. The last visit to Balibó was in January 2018 during which very constructive discussions with the community took place. It has been difficult to have the same levels of communication with the community since this time. With the Honorary Consul for Timor Leste in Tasmania (Dr Nitin Verma) travelling annually to Timor-Leste at the beginning of the year, this could be an opportune time.

Being accompanied by Dr Verma would elevate the importance of the delegation which would aid in the facilitation of necessary meetings and conversations. It is expected that a small number of representatives of the City of Hobart would attend, in addition to a representative of Bottle for Botol.

This initial visit would be funded from the elected member allowance of $6,000 per four year term and for officer travel and the travel of a representative of BfB, funding of $6,927 would be derived from the economic development budget 2019/20.

STEP 2: Sponsorship – First quarter 2020

5.3. Should the project receive support from the Balibó community, the proposed next step is to raise financial support from the Hobart community. This would take place at sponsorship events led by the TLFN where representatives of Botte for Botol and the City of Hobart would present information on the project and sponsorship options for community groups, schools, individuals and businesses.

STEP 3: Adaptation of the education program (mid 2020)

5.4. Following the securing of support from the communities of Balibó and Hobart, the next step would be to adapt the Bottle for Botol program for the people of Balibó in terms of both culture and language. The project has only to date been delivered in Indonesia. This would require a visit to Balibó by two members of the Bottle for Botol program based in Indonesia for three days which would constitute a six night trip with the travel to Balibó and back to Dili.

STEP 4: Teacher training (mid/late 2020)

5.5. Following the adaptation of the program, two BfB personnel would again travel from Indonesia to Balibó to train the local teacher who would be responsible for supporting the project. This would require a day.

The next day, the BfB personnel would visit the schools participating in the program and teach all teachers and personnel at the school about it. This would require another day.

YEAR TWO (January – December 2021)

STEP 5: Delivery (January 2021)

5.6. In year two, it is proposed that the program is delivered into the two primary schools in Balibó (6 classes, comprising 398 students in total). Lessons learned from this smaller project delivery in year two would be incorporated into years three and four.

5.7. The educational program of eight lessons would commence in year two (2021) and at the end of the program, the students would be given their steel bottles. A delegation from the City of Hobart would visit Balibó to be present when the bottles were awarded to the first class to complete the program. One member of the BfB team from Indonesia would visit Balibó and appraise the results of the project.

YEAR THREE (January – December 2022)

5.8. There may be some adaptation of the program based on what was learned in year two but primarily, year three would be about expanding the program to other schools. Added to the two primary schools would be two junior high schools. Six classes would be taught in total comprising 569 students.

One member of the BfB team from Indonesia would visit Balibó and appraise the results of the project.

YEAR FOUR (January – December 2023)

5.9. Year four would include potential adaptation and further expansion to the senior high school in Balibó. Nine classes would be reached which comprise 669 students.

5.9.1. One member of the BfB team from Indonesia would visit Balibó and appraise the results of the project.

6. Strategic Planning and Policy Considerations

6.1. Supporting a relationship with Balibó is in line with the following Council strategies and action plans:

Hobart: A community vision for our island capital endorsed by the Council in 2018:

‘4.3.6 We value pilgrimage – the choice to explore places beyond our island. Those who stay elsewhere take our culture to the world. Those who return bring new ideas and experiences with them, which we can use to enrich and evolve our own thinking.

4.3.7 We embrace those who have moved to Tasmania from elsewhere and work together for better economic outcomes.’

City of Hobart Capital City Strategic Plan 2019 - 2029:

‘4.3.7 Support the Council’s existing sister city relationships and respond to new opportunities in line with the community vision.

4.3.8 Develop greater community involvement in international relations programs.’

The International Relations Action Plan endorsed by the Council in May 2016:

‘Commence investigations into a community development based relationship with a city in the Asia Pacific region.’

7. Financial Implications

7.1. The total cost of the project over three financial years is $143,971. For a full breakdown of all costs relating to the project and student numbers, please see Attachment A.

7.2. Funding Source and Impact on Current Year Operating Result

7.2.1. Costs in the financial year 2019-20 would be the travel to Balibó of a representative of BfB, an officer from the City and up to two Elected Members. The travel costs of the Elected Members ($3,920 each) would be derived from their allocation of $6,000 per Elected Member per four year term for international travel.

7.2.2. The travel costs of a representative of BfB and an officer from the City of Hobart ($6,927) would be derived from the Economic Development budget function from the 2019-20 financial year.

7.2.3. The total financial impact on the current year operating result is $14,767.40.

7.3. Impact on Future Years’ Financial Result

Year 1 (July 2020)

7.3.1. Costs relate to step 3 and step 4 which are travel costs incurred to adapt the education program and train a local teacher. The costs in year 1 of the project (financial year 2020-21) are $11,240.

Year 2 (January – December 2021)

7.3.2. The wage for the teacher in Balibó delivering the project and payment for the time of the BfB personnel.

Costs for year two are broken down into:

Materials (bottle, workbooks etc): $5,358

Project Costs: Wages of BfB and the Balibó teacher: $24,900

Travel: A delegation from the City of Hobart and sponsors would travel to Balibó to mark the delivery of the first year of the project and personnel from BfB would visit to appraise the project at a cost of $13,690.

The total cost for year two is $43,948

Year 3 (January – December 2022)

7.3.3. Costs for financial year three are broken down into:

Materials (bottle, workbooks etc): $7,823

Project Costs: Wages of BfB and the Balibó teacher: $19,825

Travel: A staff member from BfB would visit to appraise the project at a cost of $2,710

The total cost for year two is $30,358.

Year 4 (January – December 2023)

7.3.4. Year four would reach the highest number of students from all years and would include only one visit from BfB personnel to conduct a final appraisal of the project.

Costs are summarised below:

Materials (bottle, workbooks etc): $9,123

Project Costs: Wages of BfB and the Balibó teacher: $31,825

One member of personnel from BfB would visit to appraise the project: $2,710.

The total cost for year three is $43,658.

7.4. Asset Related Implications

7.4.1. SkyHydrants utilise simple technology to filter water for ten years without the need for chemicals, coagulants, pumps or energy.

8. Legal, Risk and Legislative Considerations

8.1. There is a risk that the children will continue to use single use plastic. This is why Bottle for Botol has been identified as a project partner. They have proven success in working with school children to change behaviours.

8.2. There are many stories in Timor-Leste of aid agencies delivering ‘solutions’ to communities without their buy in and with complex technology that could not be maintained or fixed. To mitigate against this, SkyHydrant is a low tech solution to water quality issues that has been delivered in a number of countries (including Timor-Leste) in the Asia Pacific region. SkyHydrants would be used to filter the water that is pumped to the schools.

8.3. Buy in from the community can be difficult to secure, particularly given the distance between Hobart and Balibó and issues with communication. To mitigate this, it is proposed that the City of Hobart travel to Balibó to discuss this with the community face to face early in 2020.

9. Environmental Considerations

9.1. One of the main drivers of this project is to reduce the amount of plastic waste in Balibó. If the assumption is made that each child and teacher drinks one cup of water at school per day (this would be a conservative estimate), this project is likely to prevent the following entering the waste stream:

Year	Student + Teacher Numbers	No. of school days	Single use plastic kept from the waste stream
Year 1	414	240	99,360
Year 2	608	240	145,920
Year 3	708	240	169,920

Total single use plastic cups prevented from entering the waste stream in Balibó over three years of delivery = 415,200.

10. Social and Customer Considerations

10.1. This project enables community participation through schools, community organisations, individuals and businesses contributing financially to the project in Balibó.

11. Marketing and Media

11.1. There will be opportunities to promote this project through the City’s social media / City News and other external media channels.

12. Community and Stakeholder Engagement

12.1. The concept of this project has been discussed with:

· Dr Nitin Verma – Honorary Consul for Timor-Leste in Tasmania

· The Timor-Leste Friendship Network

· The Crawford Fund Tasmania

· The Balibó House Trust

· Lansdowne School

· Rotary Club North Hobart

· Disaster Aid / SkyHydrant

· Bottle for Botol

· GHD consultancy Tasmania

13. Delegation

13.1. This matter is delegated to the Council for consideration.

Lucy Knott

Economic Development Project Officer

Tim Short

Director Community Life

Date: 14 November 2019

File Reference: F19/116246

Attachment a: Financial Implications ⇩

People	We value people – our community, our customers and colleagues.
Teamwork	We collaborate both within the organisation and with external stakeholders drawing on skills and expertise for the benefit of our community.
Focus and Direction	We have clear goals and plans to achieve sustainable social, environmental and economic outcomes for the Hobart community.
Creativity and Innovation	We embrace new approaches and continuously improve to achieve better outcomes for our community.
Accountability	We work to high ethical and professional standards and are accountable for delivering outcomes for our community.

Construction of box including watering system, weed matting, special soil, trees and understory plants	$750
Installation and individual plaque recognising sponsor/partner	$218
Maintenance of tree box for 4 years @ $250 per year	$1000
GST	$197
4 year cost, 2 trees	$4330