Australia

Economic diplomacy brief: TPP trade reform, remaking aid, and Indonesian relations
Economic diplomacy brief: TPP trade reform, remaking aid, and Indonesian relations
Sticker shock It says something about the political clout of car dealers that imported used cars appear to be the last bulwark between Australia and the right to claim a free…
Timor Trough: the rumpled carpet on the sea floor
Timor Trough: the rumpled carpet on the sea floor
John Carlson says Australia approached maritime boundary negotiations with Indonesia in 1972 by arguing the Timor Trough was the meeting point of two geologically distinct…
The exciting prospects of a strong defence industry
The exciting prospects of a strong defence industry
The Turnbull government is spending $200 billion over the next decade to build-up our military capabilities, the largest amount in peacetime history. We need those weapons,…
What next for the anti-whale hunters?
What next for the anti-whale hunters?
Japan’s whale hunters are expected home any day, carrying up to 300 minke whales killed in the Southern Ocean. A harpoon ship, Yushin Maru No. 2, quietly slipped into Shiogama…
Silent Invasion: the question of race
Silent Invasion: the question of race
Clive Hamilton’s new book Silent Invasion: Chinese Influence in Australia is coming in for considerable criticism. Some of it is warranted, including elements of this thoughtful…
ASEAN Summit wrap: living with neighbours, managing China’s alternative, and bridges to somewhere
ASEAN Summit wrap: living with neighbours, managing China’s alternative, and bridges to somewhere
Democratic dividends Sitting in the largely lifeless media centre of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s $56-million grand diplomatic gambit, it was hard not to be struck by…
Resettlement in PNG was never a viable option
Resettlement in PNG was never a viable option
In mid-2015 I was approached to work as a claims assistance provider at the Manus Regional Processing Centre. Initially, I was hesitant because I did not want to be part…
What DFAT really thinks of Australia joining ASEAN
What DFAT really thinks of Australia joining ASEAN
Ahead of Malcolm Turnbull’s weekend confab for South East Asian leaders, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo reportedly thought it would be a “good idea” if Australia joined ASEAN. …
Australia–Indonesia: strangers next door
Australia–Indonesia: strangers next door
At the weekend, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will meet with President of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on the margins of the Australia-ASEAN Special Summit. Although…
ASEAN summit brief: joining the club, infrastructure games, Jakarta’s power team, and business links
ASEAN summit brief: joining the club, infrastructure games, Jakarta’s power team, and business links
Membership or not Our experience with Vietnam and the Philippines over the past few years only serves to show why the newly revived idea of Australia joining the Association of…