“Run, ScoMo, Run!” The Goddamn Genius of the Pacific Family Concept By Graeme Dobell FAIIA 29 July 2019 Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been touched by Forrest Gump magic. His “Pacific family” policy label has already delivered wins that are as surprising as they are promising. Read More
Yes, Peter Dutton has a lot of Power, but a Strong Home Affairs is Actually a Good Thing for Australia By Jacinta Carroll 29 July 2019 Forty years since five departments were consolidated to create the Department of Defence, it is now celebrated and divisive politics are long-forgotten. The creation of Home Affairs should too enable a more strategic and integrated approach to public policy. Read More
Australia–China Relations and the Red Detachment of Women By Associate Professor Katya Johanson 29 July 2019 As an instance of cultural and public diplomacy, the ballet Red Detachment of Women was a “win” for China in its objective of exhibiting enduring national strength, whilst also for Australia in its desire to demonstrate Australia’s commitment to freedom of expression and inclusivity. Read More
What’s Wrong with Australia’s Middle East Policy? 29 July 2019 On 23 July 2019, Dr Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar at the Australian National University’s Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies and former Australian Ambassador […] Read More
Paul Symon AO 25 July 2019 Paul Symon AO is director-general of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, ASIS. Paul Symon graduated from the Royal Military College Duntroon in 1982. […] Read More
Prosecuting MH17 and the Dutch and Australian Move on Russia’s State Responsibility By Dr Marieke de Hoon 25 July 2019 The legal proceedings on MH17 will entail many more years of complex legal prosecution. Nevertheless, there appear to be progressive steps towards accountability both of individuals and of Russia as a state. Read More
London Observed: Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the “Slumbering Giant” and 17 Removed Ministers By Colin Chapman FAIIA 25 July 2019 Rarely has a peacetime British prime minister been confronted with such grave challenges, nor have they appeared so unequal to the task. As UK politics undergoes great change, Australia’s request could be triaged to the bottom of Mr Johnson’s brimming in-tray. Read More
Politics and Civil Society in Southeast Asia: the case of organised labour and Indonesia’s elections 24 July 2019 On Tuesday 16th July, Professor Michele Ford, director of the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of […] Read More
The Efficacy of Being Very Vocal: Australia and Human Rights in China By Professor James Laurenceson 24 July 2019 Canberra has been on the receiving end of criticism for not being more vocal when it comes to human rights in China. Yet it is not at all clear that more assertive approaches would be effective, and the steps it takes may continue to disappoint those on both sides of the spectrum. Read More
A Lonely Fortress? Australia in an Uncertain Future By Brendan Nicholson 24 July 2019 A curious element of Hugh White’s argument for a massive restructure and rebuilding of Australian defence is that a war with a well-armed enemy could somehow not devastate the trade routes this island nation relies on for supplies. Read More
Meet a scholarship winner 23 July 2019 Isabelle Bettridge was awarded the 2017 AIIA Queensland Asia Pacific Scholarship. This is her story The scholarship was wonderful for me. It […] Read More