[TimorLesteStudies] Seminar - Canberra/Brisbane - Timor-Leste's Petroleum revenue management

Jennifer Drysdale jenster at cres10.anu.edu.au
Mon Nov 5 13:50:50 EST 2007


SEMINAR NOTICE – CANBERRA AND BRISBANE

Petroleum visions: East Timorese opinions about 
how their petroleum revenue is managed

Jenny Drysdale, Fenner School of Environment and 
Society, Australian National University

The East Timorese people imagine a better future 
in which the riches from the Timor Sea will 
reduce their poverty. Timor-Leste now has over 
$1.5 billion worth of revenue in its Petroleum 
Fund but the quality of life for most has not 
improved. Why? Because Timor-Leste’s institutions 
wear the hallmarks of Portuguese colonisation and 
Indonesian occupation, its formal institutions 
are weak and destructive institutions, like 
corruption and nepotism remain. The 2006 crisis 
and the ongoing violence rocked the weak 
foundations of state and the world wonders 
whether Timor-Leste is yet another victim of the 
‘resource curse’ that has destroyed countries such as Nigeria and Nauru.

To avoid the resource curse, the Fretilin-led 
Government of Timor-Leste established 
conservative, and potentially sustainable, 
mechanisms for managing Timor-Leste’s petroleum 
revenue. This research presents the opinions of a 
range of East Timorese decision-makers, foreign 
advisers and civil society about those plans, and 
cross-checks those opinions with the policy 
directions of the new Xanana Gusmao-led Government.

Jenny Drysdale recently completed a PhD at the 
Fenner School of Environment and Society entitled 
‘Sustainable development or resource cursed? An 
exploration of Timor-Leste’s institutional 
choices’ (available for download at 
<http://cres.anu.edu.au/~jenster>http://cres.anu.edu.au/~jenster) 
and is the moderator of the Timor-Leste Studies 
Association’s e-list (<http://www.etstudies-aust.org/>www.etstudies-aust.org).

The seminar will be recorded and available for 
download from 
<http://www.etstudies-aust.org/>www.etstudies-aust.org after 23 November.

CANBERRA
12-1pm, Thursday 15 November
The Fenner School of Environment and Society,
Seminar Room, Level 6 (take lift to level 5), Hancock Building West (43),
Biology Place, ANU.

BRISBANE
12-1pm, Monday 19 November
Conference room, 4th floor, Sir James Foots Building,
Corner of Staff House & College Roads, St Lucia campus,
University of Queensland




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Please consider the environment before printing this email
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Jenny Drysdale
Researcher, Fenner School of Environment and Society
Moderator, Timor-Leste Studies Association List
Mobile 0407 230 772
Business Hours Internal x 51651 External 02 6125 1651
Email Jennifer.Drysdale at anu.edu.au
Personal Website http://cres.anu.edu.au/~jenster
East Timor Studies www.etstudies-aust.org  




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