[TimorLesteStudies] CHANGE OF VENUE: Seminar - Timor-Leste's Petroleum revenue management

[Jennifer Drysdale]

Apologies for any inconvenience - the venue for 
this seminar TOMORROW (Thursday) has changed.
The seminar will now be held in the Robertson Lecture Theatre (Building 46E).
The Robertson Lecture Theatre is along the path 
(Biology Place) to the south of the the Hancock Building.
Signs will be erected for those who do not get this message.

>SEMINAR NOTICE ­ 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
>
>
>
>
>***********************************************************************
>Please consider the environment before printing this email
>***********************************************************************
>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