New Colombo Plan alumni and sponsored applicants can still apply for Masterclasses online. Click here to submit an application.

Masterclasses will be held the day prior to the AIIA National Conference on Sunday 14 October at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Masterclasses enable motivated young people aged 18-40 to engage directly with AIIA Fellows who are leading figures in Australia’s international affairs.

There are four Masterclass sessions being held:

Intelligence and Diplomacy

• David Irvine AO FAIIA, former Director- General, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), former Australian Ambassador to China and former High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea
• Geoffrey Miller AO FAIIA, former Australian Ambassador to Japan and South Korea, former High Commissioner to New Zealand and former Director-General of the Office of National Assessments

Global Issues and International Organisations

• Professor Helen Evans AO FAIIA, Nossal Institute for Global Health and former Deputy Executive Director at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• Professor Ramesh Thakur FAIIA, Crawford School of Public Policy and Former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations

Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy

• The Hon Penelope Wensley AC FAIIA, former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, former Ambassador to France and former Governor of Queensland
• Dr Alison Broinowski FAIIA, former Australian diplomat, author and research affiliate at ANU

Australia and the Indo-Pacific

• Richard Smith AO PSM FAIIA, former secretary of the Department of Defence and former Australian Ambassador to China and Indonesia
• Dr Sue Boyd FAIIA, former High Commissioner to Fiji and Bangladesh, Consul- General in Hong Kong and Ambassador to Vietnam