Opposition promises A$100 million ‘New Colombo Plan’

By Geoff Maslen. As part of its goal of winning government next weekend, Australia’s federal Opposition has promised A$100 million (US$89 million) over five years to create a ‘New Colombo Plan’ that will offer 300 undergraduate Australians the chance to study for one or two semesters in the Asian region each year. The scheme would be the reverse of the original Colombo plan, in which 40,000 future leaders from Asia came to study in Australia through the 1950s to the 1980s. More...