This episode looks at leadership change in Australia, Huawei and the 5G network and Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s trip to Indonesia.

In the fourth episode of the Australia in the World podcast, AIIA National President Allan Gyngell and ANU academic Darren Lim discuss how the chaos that led to Scott Morrison replacing Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister may affect Australian foreign policy, both in terms of overall policy direction and how Australia is perceived abroad. They also discuss the impact of leadership change on Australia’s foreign policy bureaucracy, before reflecting on Julie Bishop’s legacy as foreign minister.

The other major event of the week was the Australian Government’s effective ban of Chinese company Huawei from participating in the construction of the forthcoming 5G telecommunications network. Allan and Darren discuss the processes and inputs to this decision, including the role of the National Security Committee of Cabinet, as well as the Chinese reaction.

The two then discuss new Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s trip to Indonesia, in particular why he would have chosen to travel so soon after becoming Prime Minister, and then finally they cover the White House’s decision for Donald Trump not to attend upcoming regional summits in Asia.

Allan Gyngell AO FAIIA is National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs and an Honorary Professor at the ANU’s College of Asia and the Pacific.

Dr Darren Lim is a Lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University. 

Allan and Darren would like to thank the people who helped make this possible, in particular: AIIA interns Stephanie Rowell (research assistant) and Mani Bovell (audio engineer); Martyn Pearce and Maya Bhandari of the Crawford School for technical support; Rory Stenning for composing the theme music; and AIIA National Executive Director Melissa Conley Tyler.