Big group of Australian politicians to visit

Press, 20 January 1979, Page 4

Big group of Australian politicians to visit

PA Wellington Fourteen Australian politicians and several leading officials will visit New Zealand during the next two weeks. They include the Minister of National Development (Mr K. Newman), and the deputy Leader of the National Country Party and Minister of Primary Industry (Mr I. Sinclair). The officials, the first Australians to come here under the auspices of the new Australia-New Zealand Foundation, include the general manager of the Australia Council (Mr J. Cameron). The Foundation was set up during the Australian tour of the New Zealand Foreign Minister (Mr Talboysk last year, and is chaired in this country by the Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury University (Professor A. D. Brownlie). Of all the visitors, possibly' the most important for New Zealand is Mr Newman, whose portfolio covers roughly the same field as that of our Minister of Energy and Science (Mr Birch). , In .talks in Wellington on January 29, Mr Newman and Mr Birch are expected to sign an agreement to share the two countries’ research into coal, energy conservation, renewable energy sources, and transport fuels such as methanol. Australia already has similar agreements with the United States, Britain, Japan and West Germany, and it initiated the proposal to sign a similar compact with New Zealand. The agreement will allow Australia to benefit

from New Zealand’s more advanced' research, into methanol and Other alternative transport fuels, while’Australia is further ahead in flther fuels such as coat ’< ' Mr Newman will attend the first three days of the Australia and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (A.N.Z.A.A.S.) congress in Auckland. Before the talks in Wellington, he will also visit the Karapiro hydro dam, the Maui oil rig, the Wairakei geothermal station and a Canterbury sheep farm. Mr Newman, aged 45, is a former career army officer who served in Malaysia and Vietnam. Elected to Parliament by a by-election in 1975, he entered the Cabinet when the then Labour Government was ousted later that same year. The second Federal Minister, Mr Sinclair, will attend meetings of agriculture and forestry Ministers from Australia’s six states at Noah’s Hotel, Christchurch, on January 29-30. With the forestry Ministers, -he. will have official talks in Wellington on January 31. Of the other official visitors, the most significant is Mr Cameron, who will spend two weeks here. His Australia Council, the equivalent of our arts Council, employs a staff of 120 and spends an an. nual budget of sAust23.7M. In the first such extended trip here by a manager of the Australia Council, he will discuss increased cultural exchanges with officials of the Arts Council, .Film Commission,

Broadcasting Corporation and Government departments. He will ..also visit theatres, art galleries, maraes and similar institutions at Wellington. Auckland and Christchurch. The Australia-New Zealand Foundation is also sponsoring a visit to Wellington and Christchurch by a leading Australian demographer. Professor Borrie, who will be in Auckland for the A.N.Z.A.A.S. Conference. Finally, the New Zealand Government is sponsoring a visit by the head of Australia’s Department of Finance, Mr I. Castles.