[March 2020]
Networks with Past Participants of CLAIR’s Annual Local Government Exchange & Cooperation Seminar

For the past twenty-five years, CLAIR has been holding the Local Government Exchange & Cooperation Seminar every financial year which offers eligible participants in Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to visit Japan and exchange ideas and expertise with Japanese public servants on recent challenges faced by local governments. Under the Seminar program in recent years, every year, five successful applicants from Australia and New Zealand have been visiting Tokyo and a chosen regional area for over a week to learn about Japanese local governments and culture.

In the Seminar held in this financial year, five participants from local governments and a university in Australia and New Zealand had a very productive 10-days in Tokyo and Miyakonojo City in Miyazaki Prefecture. The theme for this financial year’s seminar was ‘Encouraging Local Development through Primary Industries: Local Industry Promotion’. Participants learned not only theoretical aspects of the Japanese local government system, but also had first-hand experiences in learning about local government issues in Japan such as primary industries promotion, regional revitalisation, and initiatives to tackle the declining birth-rate and population in regional areas.

From time to time, staff of CLAIR Sydney meet with past participants to catch up with them and discuss recent challenges in local governments. We also invite them to visit us at booths we run at various conferences held by organisations such as the Australian Local Government Association, Local Government New Zealand, Local Government Professionals Australia, Local Government NSW and the New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers, as well as events we organise such as the annual CLAIR Forum.

CLAIR Sydney highly values the networks we have with past participants of the Seminar, and we are also extremely pleased to see the development of networks amongst the past participants. We believe through these networks, we can share knowledge and ideas on recent local government challenges and join force to establish and maintain good relations with the wider network of local governments in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. We hope that the networks between CLAIR Sydney and the past participants, as well as the extended networks amongst the past participants, will remain strong and that they will bring positive influences on local governments of Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.