FOR PRESS: P. M. No. 117/ 1966
An announcement has been made from Buckingham Palace in the following terms:
" The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Australia next year from March 2 to March 9 in connection with preliminary arrangements for his Study Conference which is to be held there in May, 1968."
All Australians will warmly welcome this announcement that the Duke of Edinburgh is to visit Australia next year. The Duke of Edinburgh's Third Commonwealth Study Conference which will be held in Australia in 1968, will be a stimulating event and one which will attract world-wide attention. In the course of his preliminary visit next year, the Duke of Edinburgh will meet the organisers of the 1968 Study Conference and discuss plans with them.
A future announcement will be made when the details of His Royal Highness' itinerary are known.
CANBERRA,
8th December, 1966.
BACKGROUND
The Duke of Edinburgh's Third Study Conference will open in Sydney on 13th May, 1968 and close in Melbourne on the 3rd June.
The Duke of Edinburgh will be President of the Conference and the Chief justice, the Rt. Hon. Sir Garfield Barwick will be Chairman. The theme of the Conference will be " The Human Problems of Industrial
Development and Redevelopment in Commonwealth Countries". Members of the Conference, who will come from most Commonwealth countries, will be people who hold or are likely to assume senior responsibility in industry, commerce, employer oirganisations and trade un i ons. The Conference is being supported by Australian industry, commerce, employer organisations, trade unions and governmental organisations.
The Conference will be the third in the series of study conferences presided over by the Duke of Edinburgh. The first conference was held in England in 1956 and the second in Canada in 1962. Teams of about 30 Australians attended these two conferences.