Profile - International events enrich Australia
Image: AAP/William West
The department put in a medal-winning performance of its own in support of several international sporting events held in Australia during 2006-07.
These events included the FINA World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, the Pan Pacific Master games at the Gold Coast, the World Police and Fire Games in Adelaide and the Arafura Games in Darwin.
The department’s International Events Coordination Network (IECN) worked closely with event organisers to facilitate the smooth entry of competitors, officials and other participants.
The FINA World Swimming Championships generated about $80 million worth of economic benefits to Australia, while the World Police and Fire Games brought 12 000 international visitors to Adelaide.
Many people understandably focus on border control and skilled workers when they think about immigration issues but overlook Australia’s world-class temporary entry visa system and how it contributes to enriching Australia’s cultural and sporting life.
The IECN was formed in 1999 to capitalise on the economic, cultural and social benefits that major events and the people who attend them, bring to Australia. It comprises a team of four staff in Canberra with event coordinators based in each state and territory office.
The IECN works with event organisers across Australia and around the world to manage the growing number of major international events coming to Australia.
The department’s good work also supported other major events this year including 14 individual APEC meetings and the CeBIT 2007 information technology exhibition which brought about 25 000 people to Sydney in May.
Altogether, IECN work supported 902 major international events in Australia in 2006-07, up from 790 events in 2005-06.