PERTH TO HOST CHOGM IN 2011

Perth, the capital of Western Australia, will host the next biannual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), to be held in 2011. In announcing the selection of Perth, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said Perth is an appropriate city to host the meeting. “It is now an international city, one of Australia’s fastest growing cities, and also expanding its great links to Asia, while looking west to India and Africa.”

The Premier of WA, Colin Barnett, says hosting the CHOGM meeting is a fantastic opportunity for the State, with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the leaders of 54 Commonwealth nations set to participate. The meeting is expected to attract approximately 5,000 delegates and visitors, including international media, and will be the biggest event hosted in Perth since the America’s Cup. CHOGM is more than simply a meeting of Commonwealth nation world leaders, as it includes business, youth and community forums surrounding the main meeting.

The Premier said: “This is going to be very important for our position as the major Australian city on the Indian Ocean. For that week in 2011, Perth and Western Australia will be very much at the centre of world political debate. For Western Australia it gives us the opportunity to show what we have to offer as an economy and as a people. It’s a rare and unique opportunity to promote WA throughout the world, particularly in Southern Asia and the African-Indian Ocean Rim.”

The State Government will begin working soon with the Federal Government to organise venues and timing.