[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 20 (Thursday, February 7, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE UNI-CAPITOL WASHINGTON INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 7, 2008

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, for decades the United States has looked 
towards Australia as one of our closest of cultural, economic and 
security partners. This is true not just between the two governments 
but among Americans and Australians who have crossed the Pacific to 
visit with or work with each other. I am pleased to rise today to 
recognize the Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program, which annually 
delivers some of Australia's best and brightest university students to 
a bipartisan and bicameral array of congressional offices for two-month 
internships.
  This is the first year that I have been privileged to participate in 
the Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program. A student emissary to my 
office, Anthony Bremner, has added first-hand value to our 
understanding of global issues and perspectives as seen from Australia. 
Anthony, who visits us from the University of Queensland, is a text-
book example of the high caliber of this program. Over the past two 
months, he has applied his volunteer experiences from the constituency 
office of Australia's newly elected Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to my 
office. During this time, Anthony has attended committee briefings, 
drafted constituent correspondence, and assisted my staff with 
research. His Australian accent frequently sparked conversations with 
my constituents interested to learn where he was from and to share 
their international experiences with him. This international exchange 
has demonstrated that through sharing our American and eastern 
Connecticut values and experiences we foster greater understanding and 
appreciation of the United States.
  Anthony is not alone in this effort. This year, a record 13 students 
from all across Australia were matched with as many congressional 
offices. They were drawn from seven Australian universities in four 
different states and the Australian Capital Territory. Far from a 
solely academic exercise, the Uni-Capitol program is a practical 
investment in our global community, given the diverse array of 
congressional participants and an equally diverse array of student 
interests ranging from law to commerce, from the environment to 
communications, from international affairs to American studies.
  Including this current group, 81 Australian students will have 
interned in Washington since the program's inception nine years ago. 
For launching and directing this effort here in Washington, much credit 
is due to its founder Eric Federing. Eric is a former senior House and 
Senate Congressional staffer who has worked to bridge the wide 
geographic distance between the U.S. and Australia through his efforts 
at the Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program.
  Madam Speaker, I would encourage all of my colleagues to seek 
connections with members of our global community. Similarly, I would 
encourage American university students to seek established and creative 
ways to connect with their counterparts around the globe. On this note, 
I ask my colleagues to join with me in recognizing the contributions of 
the Uni-Capitol Internship Program and, again, thank Anthony Bremner 
for his participation and hard work.

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