Former Premier heading to Sister State

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel today congratulated former Premier Peter Beattie and his wife Heather Beattie on their appointment as lecturers at the University of South Carolina.

Minister Mickel said during his time as Premier, Dr Beattie forged a strong relationship with our sister state and his posting at the University of South Carolina will assist in strengthening our relationship with South Carolina.

“Dr Beattie pioneered the sister state relationship between Queensland and South Carolina and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws in 2007 by the University of South Carolina for his work in developing this relationship.

“As a champion of Smart State initiatives it is great to see our sister state benefiting from the knowledge Dr Beattie will bring in the areas of politics, tourism, trade and investment.” Mr Mickel said.

In addition to the Sister State Agreement, six government level Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with South Carolina covering areas such as economic cooperation, tourism, education and biotechnology. In addition, various institutional level agreements and collaborative projects aimed at building and strengthening educational, scientific, commercial, tourism and cultural links have been initiated.


Media Contact: Nathan Moir 3235 4060

January 24, 2007