PRIME MINISTER PRESS STATEMENT NO. 127
11 September 1973
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH-EAST
ASIA
The Prime Minister, Mr. Whitlam, announced in Canberra
today that Australia will participate in the next meeting of the
Ministerial Conference for the Economic Development of South-East
Asia. The meeting will be held in Tokyo on 12-13 October. It was
proposed that the Special Minister of State would represent
Australia at the Ministerial Conference after his attendance at
the United Nations General Assembly.
The Prime Minister said that Australia welcomed the
opportunity to participate in the work of the Ministerial Conference
which aimed at assisting in the development of the countries of
South-East Asia. Countries attending the Conference will be:
Indonesia, Japan, Khmner Republic, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and the Republic of Vietnam.
Meetings of the Ministerial Conference have been held
annually and have presented an opportunity for participants to
discuss their developmental efforts and possible intra-regional
co-operation. The Ministerial Conference has been the sponsor
of a number of regional projects and studies related to the
solution of regional problems. Among the projects and studies
in hand at the present time are:
The South-East Asian Fisheries Development Centre,
The South-East Asian Promotion Centre for Trade,
Investment and Tourism,
The Regional Project on Transport and Communications,
A project on Population and Family Planning,
A project on Public H~ ealth and Pesticide Control,
The South-East Asian Medical and Health Organisation,
A Study Group on Asian Administration,
The South-East Asian College of Engineering,
A Study of Development Assistance for South-East Asia.
-2-
The Prime Minister said that these projects indicated
the wide range of interests in economic and development matters
dealt with by the Ministerial Conference. He believed that Australia
could make a useful contribution to the Conference and noted the
importance which the Australian Government attached to co-operation
in the region to foster more rapid economic development to improve
the conditions of life of the people of the region.
CANBERRA, A. C. T.