Kirsty Sword Gusmao to address East Timor conference

Ms Kirsty Sword Gusmao, wife of the East Timor Prime Minister following last weekend’s election, will give the keynote address at a University of Western Sydney Forum on Saturday, July 14 at the UWS Parramatta Campus.

The inaugural NSW Timor-Leste Forum brings together government aid agencies, researchers and community organisations to address the need for a more collaborative approach to help support Timorese communities.

The aim of this forum is to create a space for new dialogues between organisations and community groups that have developed expertise in collaborating with Timor-Leste communities.

The forum will concentrate on supporting education programs in East Timor, and participants will focus on issues including early literacy, student exchanges, health education and the education provided to future teachers.

Ms Gusmao will address the conference at 10.15am.

Other speakers include:

• Kaye Schofield, Principal Sector Specialist for Education, AusAID
• Professor Damien Kingsbury, Director, Centre for Citizenship, Development and Human Rights, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University
• Jude Finch, Blue Mountains East Timor Sisters, Former AVI Timor-Leste
• Richard Brown, Chair of the Victorian Local Governance Associations’ Timor-Leste Advisory Group

His Excellency Mr Abel Guterres, the East Timorese Ambassador to Australia, will close the conference.

The conference convenors, Dr Gabriela Coronado and Dr Wayne Fallon, say the forum is a great chance to generate constructive dialogues and debates about how best to optimise the work of many different groups involved in providing aid to East Timor.

WHAT: Timor-Leste Education Forum
WHEN: 10am- 5pm Saturday July 14, 2012
WHERE: Building EA.G.19 UWS Parramatta Campus, corner Victoria Road and James Ruse Drive, Rydalmere

Ends

12 July 2012