BOOT: In the Public
Interest?
The "BOOT: In the Public Interest?" conference held on the
20th and 21st of March 1998 was a resounding success by the accounts of
most that attended and participated. It was attended by the general public,
community groups, government representatives, journalists, academics,
students, and a smattering of business interests. There were 17 speakers
in all, ranging from government representatives and academics to community
representatives. It was generally felt by those that attended that the
conference helped to open up information and debate about the complex
issue of infrastructure funding both in Australia and in the Mekong Region
that most in the public have little understanding about.
The conference was the result of over 10 months of joint planning between
the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, The Australian Mekong
Resource Centre (AMRC) and Community Aid Abroad (Oxfam in Australia).
The success of the conference on such a low budget was due in large part
to high levels of co-operation and resource sharing from all members of
the steering committee.
© 2005 Australian Mekong Resource Centre |
