Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher announced that Melbourne has won the right to host 2000 delegates from around the world at the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development in 2014.
“This conference will not only deliver valuable tourism dollars to the state, it will also provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the extensive work undertaken in Victoria in the development of social welfare policy and service delivery,” Asher said.
“This important event for Victoria will attract 2000 delegates and inject an estimated AUD $7.6 million into the state’s economy.”
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre will host the 2,000 delegate conference in 2014.
Minister for Community Services Mary Wooldridge said the conference would be of great benefit to Victoria, which is highly regarded across Australia and internationally in the area of social policy.
“It will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the extensive work undertaken in Australia and more particularly, in Victoria, in the development of social policy, education and service delivery,” Wooldridge said.
“It will also ensure Victorian social workers have the opportunity to learn from their counterparts from across the world.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau Karen Bolinger said the Conference would be jointly hosted by the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) and International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW).
“The Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau worked with Professor James Angus, the Dean of The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences to secure the Conference for Melbourne in 2014,” Bolinger said.
“Professor Angus is an Ambassador for Club Melbourne, a program of 134 local leaders in academia, science and business who assist in securing business events for Melbourne, and this bid win demonstrates just how important their role is in this process.”
Professor Angus said the conference in Melbourne would facilitate an in-depth investigation of critical world issues.
“These include social protection, the social impact of natural disasters and economic crises, and all the really important health and social concerns that face us as a society,” Professor Angus said.
Peter King, Chief Executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre where the event will be hosted, said, “We look forward to welcoming professionals in the important fields of social work and social development to our facility for this four-day conference.”
