Australia in the World
State of play for Pacific women in 2024
As 2024 rang in, an historical vote was taking place in the Pacific. Hilda Heine, former president of the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) and first ever female head of state in…
Economic diplomacy: Australia Inc’s new tilt at ASEAN
Lost in translation
It’s 30 years since the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade produced a 300-page report on business challenges in Southeast Asia, accompanied by…
ASEAN-Australia: The art of what’s possible
Having talked about atmospherics and then process, let’s look at results from the final day of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit. This is the “outcomes document”, as they call it…
ASEAN-Australia: Small steps at the big summit
Today is “bilat day” (short for bilateral) for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne. Call it diplomatic speed-dating, with lots of…
From confrontation to collaboration: Working together on critical minerals supply chains
A recent article in the Australian Financial Review on the urgent “parachuting” of Chinese technicians to a troubled lithium processing plant in Western Australia has highlighted…
A role for nuclear in Australia’s climate response?
Dron Parashar, writing in The Interpreter last month, notes that other countries are actively exploring nuclear options for electricity generation, while the current Australian…
Melbourne gets a taste of the ASEAN way
Melbourne has rolled out a blue carpet, not red. It’s a fitting colour for the assembly of Southeast Asian leaders expected to march along and shake the hand of the host,…
After ambition, implementation: How Australia builds its new navy
The government’s response to the independent review of Australia’s surface combatant fleet is ambitious. When combined with the AUKUS agreement to obtain nuclear-powered…
ASIO versus the A-team
ASIO Director General Mike Burgess began his 2024 Annual Threat Assessment by heralding the end of business as usual – or “BAU” as he put it.
“If terrorists and spies don’t do…
Australia's new navy: The Japanese option
By the end of this decade the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) may well by operating a frigate that originates from Japan.
The Independent Analysis of Navy's Surface Combatant Fleet…