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Foreign Affairs Minister to deliver Earle Page lecture

May 05, 2005

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Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Alexander Downer MP, will present this year’s annual Earle Page College Politics Lecture at The University of New England on Tuesday, May 17.
Mr Downer’s speech will be “Freedom, the Spread of Democracy and Contemporary Challenges in Foreign Policy”.
The lecture starts at 8.30pm and is open to the public. A large number of people are expected to attend in addition to College members and official guests, according to Mr David Ward, Master of Earle Page College.
“The Annual Politics Lecture is a significant town-and-gown event for UNE, Armidale and the region. We are delighted to have such a high-profile politician deliver this, the 22nd one. The series aims at providing Earle Page residents, guests and members of the public with a diverse range of political opinions on significant public issues.” Mr Ward said.
Each year Earle Page College, at UNE, invites a prominent political figure to speak at its Annual Politics Lecture, held in conjunction with the Discipline of Political and International Studies within UNE’s School of Social Science. Speakers in previous years include Peter Garrett, former President of the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Hon Philip Ruddock, when he was Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. Last year’s speaker was Dr Carmen Lawrence, former Premier of WA and President of the Australian Labor Party.

Said Mr Ward: “The Earle Page Politics Lectures are intended to stimulate thought and discussion. The lecture should also provide a forum for thoughtful questions to the Minister on foreign affairs matters.”
Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, after whom the college and lecture series are named, was chairman of the advisory council for The University of New England College from 1938 until 1954 and then the University’s first Chancellor, from 1954 to 1960. He was also Prime Minister for a brief period in 1939.
Mr Downer has been Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs since the election of the Howard Government in March 1996, and has held the seat of Mayo for the Liberal Party continuously since 1984.
Born in 1951, he was educated at Geelong Grammar School, Victoria; Radley College, Oxford, United Kingdom; and the University of Newcastle on Tyne, United Kingdom. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Politics and Economics and is a Doctor of Civil Laws (honoris causa).
The lecture will be held in the College Dining Hall at 8.30pm. Those people wishing to attend are asked to call the College Office on 67735300 in order to reserve seating.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779 or
David Ward on 6773 5301.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at May 5, 2005 03:01 PM