Sister cities need to evolve - Taurus - Brief Article

Business Asia, June, 2002 by Tim Fischer

Over the years, the concept of Sister City relationships has steadily grown, one example is the link and formal relationship between Melbourne and Tianjin (China) and Osaka (Japan).

On a smaller scale, many country towns and regional cities have developed links with generally larger towns and cities in Asia, Europe and North America.

Wagga Wagga, in southern NSW, is twinned with Fort Leavonworth, Texas, the strategic city of Kun Ming in China, as well as Nordlingen, Germany, and this is a good example of pro-active sister city arrangements and linkages.

To some extent this activity leads to a positive exchange of ideas and concept as well as helping to build business links and two-way trade.

Where it has worked well is when the link is a crossover link beyond the traditional pattern and cultural heritage--in a sense in breaking new ground.

In this regard, it would help if Australian towns and cities stepped out of their comfort zone and took a focus on Latin America or parts of Africa.

Further afield

Such Sister City relationship across the Indian Ocean or the southern Pacific Ocean would reflect initiatives in trade policy to further diversify our key markets around the world. Where properly managed, it would give impetus and support to small and medium sized exporters opening up new markets with new products.

Perhaps it is time to apply sunset clauses to some of the Sister City linkages to force review and re-commitment.

Alternatively, perhaps it is also time to look at twinning other projects and entities to help provide real help and two-way exchange of information.

To this end, an exciting proposal is unfolding between the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan, located between China and India, and the State of New South Wales, Australia. It involves developing a Sister relationship between the largest national park in Bhutan, the Jigme Dorji, and Australia's highest and possibly greatest national park, namely the Kosciuszko National Park.

Preliminary crossover inspections and contacts have been made as, step-by-step, the concept gathers momentum and win-win benefit.

Cooperation

While visiting Bhutan, I vividly recall being on the edge of one of the great National Parks, having a picnic box lunch by a beautiful fast-flowing mountain river. At the end of the lunch, the local driver carefully picked up the lunch boxes (cardboard boxes) and I thought was heading off to put them in the boot of the car. Alas, I was wrong!

With one mighty throw the driver hurled the boxes, with various bit of rubbish contained therein, including empty cans and wrappings, into the fast flowing river. Whilst natural forces might well break down this particular unit of rubbish before it reached the Indian border, it was hardly an example of good environmental management.

Undoubtedly this is one area earmarked for cooperation between the staff of Kosciusko National Park and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and their opposite numbers in Bhutan. In many cases assistance can be in the form of low cost aid projects including very practical guidance on signage policy, through to portable environmental friendly toilets for use in crowded parts of the national parks.

More depth

There are of course broader issues in the difficult and challenging environment of the Himalayas, and this includes particularly, reforestation, along with soil conservation to help guard against erosion and massive landslips.

One of the very best examples of AusAid effort in this regard has even led to commercial export opportunities for the forestry consultancy profession in Australia. I refer to the nearby Australia--Nepal Forestry project which has now operated for over 25 years in a region about 100 kilometres east/north east of Kathmandu.

This project has been so successful that satellite pictures of the area show where the project operates and the recovery of forest and timber cover. Key to this over the years has been modest budgets, but strong involvement of the local communities with training and encouraging them to use their own woodlots to advantage.

All in all, it is to be hoped that many good and practical advances will be conferred by the cooperation and exchange between these two great national parks. It is also to be hoped that extra depth and diversity to the nature of Sister City and other link arrangements will unfold between Australia and Asia, and around the world.

* Tim Fischer was Australian Federal Trade Minister and Deputy Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999.