Reimagining Australia's international relations.
A platform for collaboration between the development, diplomacy and defence communities.
A successful first year
On 27 July AP4D hosted a reception at Australian Parliament House in Canberra to celebrate the achievements of AP4D’s inaugural program, funded by the Australian Civil-Military Centre, and to look ahead to the next two years, including a new program funded by the Office of the Pacific.
AP4D was joined by representatives from the Canberra diplomatic corps, parliamentarians and senior government officials, as well as AP4D advisory and working group members. AP4D is grateful to all who attended, including Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Birmingham who spoke on the importance of AP4D's work.
Our people
The AP4D Advisory Group is co-chaired by Marc Purcell and Michael Wesley.
Recent commentary by Advisory Group members include:
Richard Maude on the need for a formal Indo-Pacific strategy, Chinese diplomacy in Southeast Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic and what Australia can learn from it.
Joanne Wallis on building stronger ties with the Pacific, regional defence priorities, Pacific literacy, the future of Australian diplomacy in the region and what the Pacific Islands Forum can learn from ASEAN.
Bridi Rice on the case for a globally accepted vulnerability index, US-Australia development cooperation, competing with China in the Pacific, addressing fragility in Papua New Guinea and combatting financial crime.
Allan Gyngell on Australia's engagement with Southeast Asia, the Albanese government’s foreign policy agenda and in discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong.
Huong Le Thu on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, attitudes towards US alliances among new regional governments, Southeast Asia's technology and development needs and an economic agenda for engaging with Vietnam.
Michael Wesley on Indo-Australian strategic partnership in the Indian Ocean.
Caitlin Byrne on China's engagement in the Pacific islands climate change discourse.
AP4D welcomes Jane Haycock, CEO of the International Development Contractors Community, to the Advisory Group, and thanks Therese Faulkner for her contribution.
Our program
On 18 August AP4D held a dialogue, 'A joint agenda for maritime security: Southeast Asian and Australian perspectives', where more than 40 development, diplomacy and defence experts from Australia and Southeast Asia identified and discussed key themes and issues in the maritime security space.
It was the first event in the Blue Security program, a DFAT-funded project running to the end of 2023 in partnership with La Trobe Asia, Griffith Asia Institute, UWA Defence Security Institute and UNSW Canberra Maritime Security Research Group.
As well as setting the scene for the next 18 months of the program, these discussions will form the basis for an AP4D options paper. If you would like to be involved please get in touch at secretariat@asiapacific4d.com.
In the news
