At our July event Robbie Gaspar and Chris Ciriello, two sportsmen who have been involved in sports at elite levels in Indonesia, Malaysia and India, will share their views on Australian sports diplomacy Australia's recognition as a sporting nation has delivered soft power dividends over many years. But few of these dividends have been delivered in Asia.  Arguably, because Australia is focussed on particular sports which, with the exception of cricket in South Asia, do not have a large spectator base in Asia.  Chris and Robbie will discuss  the prospects for Australia’s sporting brand to be better utilised to build relations in these key countries and the region more broadly. This event will run with a live audience and as a webinar.   About the speakers Robbie Gaspar was the first Australian footballer to play professionally in Indonesia. He played in Indonesia for almost 8 years, including playing for Indonesia’s most prestigious football club, Persib Bandung. His professional football career spanned many countries in Asia and Europe over his 14-year professional career.  During his time in Indonesia, Robbie became an executive committee member of the Players Association in 2011, where he remained in the role until 2014. In late 2014, Robbie was awarded Life Membership of the Professional Footballers Australia for his outstanding contribution to supporting professional football players across Southeast Asia, especially throughout Indonesia and Malaysia.  He is fluent in Indonesian and is currently the President of the Indonesia Institute, the peak body for independent insight and engagement into Indonesian - Australian bilateral relations. In 2017 Robbie was the recipient of the Australia Indonesia Award for the Sports Category and is passionate about utilising the soft power of sport to improve Australia’s relations throughout the region.   Chris Ciriello started playing hockey at 4 years of age, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps. He has had an impressive career with 199 caps and 116 goals for the Kookaburras. Chris is a dual Olympian, World Cup Champion, dual Commonwealth Games Gold medallist and 6 times Champions Trophy medallist. He was the first and only player to score 3 goals in a World Cup final. He was nominated as one of the top 5 players in the world. At the club and state level he twice captained the Victorian team to national championships; won both Perth and Melbourne Premier league divisions; won the European Hockey League; and won the HIL Hockey India League. Chris has also become a renowned coach and has developed specialised coaching programs for the Ciriello Coaching Academy where he coached for many years. He has coached a wide variety of team in Australia, ranging from the under 21 Australian national team; domestic men’s and women’s elite teams; and school and regional teams. Internationally he has coached the Indian women's, Under 21’s men's and women's and a selection of under 16-19 junior teams for the Khel India program. He was a USA Women's Super-Division Premiership Coach. He was the analytical assistant coach and manager of the Indian Men's national team for three years. Chris was recently appointed Head of Asian Engagement for Hockey WA.

Join us for a presentation by Ireland's Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Mr Tim Mawe, on Ireland's place in Europe. 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Ireland’s decision to join the European Union: an event which accelerated the transformation of Ireland into a modern progressive European state.  During his presentation, Ambassador Mawe will highlight developments in Ireland from an economic, social, and political perspective.  Ireland has deep historical connections to Western Australia and offers a familiar entry point for anyone looking to connect with the European Union. Ambassador Mawe's presentation will be followed by a moderated Q&A discussion with the audience.   About the speaker: HE Mr Tim Mawe currently holds the position of the Ambassador of Ireland to Australia. He has previously served as Regional Director for Asia Pacific in Ireland's Department ofForeign Affairs, as Ireland's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, as Ambassador to Latvia and as Head of Finance and Head of Planning for Ireland's last EU Presidency.

We are delighted to announce that Denmark's Ambassador to Australia, Ms Pernille Dahler Kardel, will address AIIA WA members and guests on Tuesday 28 June, while in Perth on her first official visit to Western Australia. With the war in Ukraine, there is a significant change in the security architecture of Europe and an impending energy crisis. Ambassador Kardel will outline how this shift is seen from Danish eyes.  She will also outline what Denmark is doing to step up its ambitious energy goals to accelerate the green transition for its own needs and those of its European neighbours. This event is presented in partnership with the Political Science and International Relations Department at the University of Western Australia.   About the speaker Ms. Pernille Dahler Kardel has been the Danish ambassador to Australia and New Zealand since September 2020. She has been active in international diplomacy for more than 30 years, having held senior positions with the United Nations and the Danish Foreign Ministry. Her diplomatic expertise includes posts in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America, and covers political affairs, peace facilitation, international cooperation, and economic development, as well as a focus in the area of women, peace and security. Ambassador Kardel comes to Australia after she served as Ambassador, Peace, Stabilization and SCR 1325 (Women Peace and Security) in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before that, she served as UN Under Secretary General and Acting UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon from November 2017 through February 2019. She came to that post after a tour as Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in 2016-17. Previously, she held the post of Ambassador of Denmark to Egypt (2012-16) and to Ethiopia accredited also to Sudan, South Sudan and Djibouti (2007-2012). In Ethiopia, she served as Denmark’s Permanent Representative to the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Earlier, she was posted to the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations in New York, including during Denmark’s membership of the Security Council. She has also served in Moscow and New Delhi. She is a member of the Nordic Women Mediators Network, Denmark. Ms. Kardel holds master’s degrees in international public policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in the United States and in interdisciplinary planning from Roskilde University in Denmark. She studied environmental studies for a year (1988) at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. She has been awarded Knight First Class of the Order of Dannebrog by Her Majesty, Queen Margrethe the Second of Denmark. She is married to Peter Heinlein and has two children

More than a decade ago, Michael Sheldrick helped co-found an Australian initiative known as Global Citizen after being one of the first recipients of the AIIA WA Bursary for Studies in Asia Program.  In March 2020, at the request of the World Health Organisation, Global Citizen turned its attention to supporting Covid-19 relief efforts worldwide. Within weeks, the organisation produced its biggest show ever reaching 150 countries, with over 100 musicians.  It raised $127 million for Covid-19 relief.  In the 2 years since, Global Citizen has raised billions of dollars to address problems ranging from voter registration, vaccine inequity, climate change and, most recently, Ukrainian refugee efforts. From vaccine nationalism to the war in Ukraine, it is clear that our current approaches to global cooperation are failing.  In this presentation, Michael will propose new approaches for addressing the key challenges of our time. He will draw on insights from the last decade working alongside the UN, governments including that of President Zelenskyy, and grassroots organizations from Poland to Nigeria. This event will run with a live audience and as a webinar.   About the speaker Michael oversees the policy and impact direction of the Global Citizen movement and has worked on campaigns in North America, Europe, India, South Africa and Australia. He has worked with many artists, heads of government and philanthropists including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Usher, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, President Akufo-Addo of Ghana, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He has been instrumental in mobilizing political and public support for the Sustainable Development Goals.  Michael's writing on these topics has been published by the Guardian, Huffington Post, The Diplomatic Courier, The Diplomat Magazine, The South China Morning Post, The West Australian, Fairfax Media and he has been interviewed by Sky News, Forbes Magazine, VICE Impact, The New Yorker, ABC and the BBC, among others. He holds degrees in law and political science from the University of Western Australia, was 2013 Young Western Australian of the Year, and has previously been listed by The Sunday Times as one of WA's 50 Best and Brightest. In 2017, Michael was named by the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth as a finalist for Young Commonwealth Person of the Year. Michael’s efforts, and those of the team he leads, was recently profiled in the Activate series, which aired on National Geographic in the fall of 2019. He is also a board member for the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens.

At our May Event, AIIA WA will host a panel discussion to mark the 20th anniversary of the independence of Timor-Leste. Less than 600km from Australia’s North, Timor-Leste has featured prominently in Australia’s foreign policy for many decades: from its annexation by Indonesia in 1975, its struggle for independence, and its development since.  Two of AIIA WA’s past presidents, Sue Boyd and John Goodlad, and our current president, Brendan Augustin, have all had significant involvement in Australia’s relationship with Timor-Leste from the mid 70’s through to the present. Sue, John, and Brendan will discuss their personal experiences in this relationship and their views on the key issues pertaining to it. This event will run with a live audience and as a webinar.   About the speakers Dr Sue Boyd is widely respected and admired in the international relations community and is a past President of the AIIA for WA. Born in India to British parents, Boyd lived and was educated in Germany, Egypt, Cyprus, Ireland and the UK. Her family emigrated to Perth, Western Australia in 1966 where she was the first woman President of the Student Guild of Undergraduates at UWA. In 1970 she joined the Australia Department of External Affairs, the beginning of a 34 year career in the Australian Foreign Service, including postings as Ambassador in Vietnam, High Commissioner in Bangladesh and Fiji, Consul-General in Hong Kong and postings in Portugal, The UN in New York and the German Democratic Republic. Since returning to WA in 2003, she has invested considerable energy into revitalising the AIIA for WA. She now works as a Senior Executive Business Coach in Perth and is interested in international affairs and in the arts, including theatre, and opera.   John is our Immediate Past President and was a Member of the National Committee of the AIIA for 9 years. He has represented the Institute on various occasions including a lecture at NATO Headquarters, leading a delegation to the Republic of Korea and participation in the second track Australia-New Zealand/ASEAN talks in Kuala Lumpur in 2019. He is a former Australian diplomat who served in Thailand and Indonesia and he has a keen interest in the immediate region and Australia’s place in the world. John is the Honorary Consul for Colombia in Western Australia and is on the Committee of the Consular Corps of WA Inc. John is also a Master of International Law from the Australian National University. He speaks fluent Thai and Indonesian, and some Mandarin, French and Spanish.   Brendan Augustin is our current President.  He spent almost fifteen years in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). During this time he undertook diplomatic assignments in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and France. After leaving DFAT, he worked in senior roles in Oil and Gas and Mining, including international assignments in Mauritania and Timor Leste with Woodside Energy and in Cameroon with Sundance Resources. Brendan returned to Perth in 2013 to work with Woodside where he assumed several roles including General Manager, Government and International Relations. He left Woodside recently and is now the Managing Director of Bina Group, which is focused on supporting companies grow internationally. In July 2021 he was elected President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs of Western Australia.            

This event will run with a live audience and as a webinar.   On 2 April 2022, Australia and India signed the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI ECTA), after more than ten years of negotiations. Despite strong historical and cultural ties, India has long underperformed as an economic partner for Australia. This has been due to a lack of complementarities between the two economies; differing economic strategies, and the legacy of past business experience. The Australian Government’s goal is to make India a top three export market by 2035, and third largest destination in Asia for outbound investment. A key driver for this ambition is the risk posed by Australia’s strong reliance on trade with China during an era of geopolitical uncertainty. India provides an opportunity to diversify our trade as the “world’s fastest growing major economy”. But how can this agenda be realised given past experience, and how can we leverage the free trade agreement for developing new economic ties? Dr Jeffrey Wilson, one of Australia’s pre-eminent trade and investment policy experts, will provide his analysis on the prospects for the new agreement to move the dial in the economic relationship, following which we will have a longer format Q and A session on the broader Australia – India relationship.   About the speaker Dr Jeffrey Wilson is the Australian Industry (Ai) Group's Director of Research and Economics. He leads the economics team and provides strategic direction in developing the research program to support its advocacy, service delivery and policy activities. Jeffrey specialises in international economic policy, with a focus on how trade and investment shape the Australian industrial and business environments.

Given the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the community, AIIA WA for the first time is trialling a hybrid event. Members and guests are most welcome to attend this event in person, but an option to attend, from the comfort of your home, an interactive webinar of the event is available. As this is a trial and the first time some of the technology involved will be used, AIIA WA will not be charging for the webinar option. If you choose to register for the Webinar, please note that a link to the Webinar will be sent to your provided email address one hour prior to the event commencing.  *** At our March event, Professor Peter Newman AO, an author of the next IPCC mitigation report, will show how producing solar energy and green hydrogen is likely to transform Western Australia’s economy in a geopolitically significant way. The existing geopolitical order of manufacturing was based firstly in places near coal in Europe and America and then to wherever coal and gas could be shipped easily. That world is changing. Solar and wind energy are now cheaper than any other form of power and it is needed for all parts of the zero carbon economy. Solar and wind-based electricity are needed to make Green Hydrogen which is the only real option to decarbonise process industries. Thus solar power and hydrogen will be the basis of processing minerals and hence down-stream manufacturing. Hydrogen is fundamentally difficult to store and shipping will be extremely expensive.  This is a thermodynamic necessity with geopolitical implications. The world will move towards the production of solar power and green hydrogen near to where minerals are mined. WA has huge potential to generate solar and wind power in regional areas near mineral deposits required for this new zero carbon economy.  Solar and wind are already being procured for local mining and in the production of Green Hydrogen for use locally. This shift in geopolitics needs to be understood.  Professor Newman will show how Western Australia could become a major source of processed minerals (green steel and green aluminium), food products, and even manufacturing of batteries and electric vehicles. The potential to transform our economy from that of a primary commodities exporter to that of a high quality zero carbon producer will need a completely new set of partnerships between governments and industry.   About the speaker Peter Newman is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University. Peter has written 23books and over 370 papers on sustainable cities and decarbonization policy. He has worked to deliver his ideas in all levels of government having been an elected councilor, seconded to advise three Premiers and on the Board of Infrastructure Australia 2008-14. He is the Co-ordinating Lead Author for the UN’s IPCC on Transport. In 2014 he was awarded an Order of Australia for his contributions to urban design and sustainable transport. In 2018/19 he was the WA Scientist of the Year.  

Important Update: Due to unforeseen circumstances our guest speaker, Ian Kortlang, has had to travel to New South Wales this week. Fortunately, he is still available to participate virtually from Sydney.  Given this development, the uncertainty associated with the increasing Covid 19 case numbers in WA, and the new restrictions on public gatherings, we have decided to make the event an online webinar. We would like to apologise for this late change. There will be a refund for those who have purchased tickets for the in-person event, and we welcome everyone to register for the webinar. Tickets will be free for members and $5 for non members. The time will remain the same. Registrations will close on 24th of February at 4pm AWST. After 4pm, those who have registered will receive an email with a link to join the Zoom webinar. The webinar will open at 6:20pm AWST, and the presentation will begin at 6:30pm AWST (Perth time, UTC+8), 9:30pm AEDT (UTC+11).   *** To start our 2022 program, the WA Branch of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, is pleased to host a discussion with Ian Kortlang who will reflect on his 50 year career in the making of Australian foreign and domestic policy.  From his first deployment to Vietnam in 1970 as an officer in the Australian Army to diplomatic postings in Asia, Africa and Europe, to senior domestic advisory roles in State and Federal politics and a long  - and still ongoing - successful career as a political strategist for domestic and international clients, Kort has had a unique vantage point from which to observe how Australian domestic politics has intersected with its foreign policy evolution.  During the discussion, in the form of Q and A with AIIA WA President, Brendan Augustin, he will share his firsthand political insider insights of this interplay, including letting us have a glimpse into how domestic policy battles can influence Australia’s international relations – and its reputation Please note the venue has yet to be confirmed and tickets are not on sale yet, but save the date!   About the speaker   Ian Kortlang, better known as Kort, has provided business leadership, issues management, and corporate communications counsel to many of the most high profile CEOs and Boards in Australia over three decades.  With a proven track record spanning new business creation, corporate strategy, national and international affairs, Kort has also held CEO roles at some of the largest communications firms in Australia including Burson-Marsteller, iSentia and Gavin Anderson. Kort came to the private sector after a successful career as a political campaign strategist, public sector departmental head, diplomat and army officer.  He was Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition in both the State (NSW) and Federal spheres and served in the Australian diplomatic corps from 1973-80 in Asia, Africa and the OECD in Paris.  An Australian Army officer, he was mentioned in dispatches for service in Vietnam in 1970-71 and later spent two years on secondment with the Joint Intelligence Organisation in Canberra.  Kort is an accomplished presenter and public speaker and a respected media and political commentator.

  The World in 2022 – Reasons to be Cheerful: Reflections of a Diplomat with Honorary Consul of Colombia, and Immediate Past President of AIIA WA Mr John R Goodlad Join us as we celebrate another successful year.      For our traditional Christmas event we are pleased to have John R Goodlad as our end-of-year speaker.  In this special lecture, John will take his lead from the Ian Drury and the Blockheads song “Reasons to be Cheerful” and expand on what is going right in the world as we enter 2022.  John will reflect on noteworthy positive developments to show that it is not all darkness and gloom when it comes to international relations.   Festive food and drinks are included in the price of admission and will be served to all guests on the University Club Balcony following John’s presentation. For catering purposes, bookings are essential, and all Christmas Party tickets must be purchased by Thursday 2 December. Please note that there will be no door sales for the December Christmas Party event.    We will also be continuing the tradition of our annual Christmas book swap. Bringing the spirit of sustainability to our holiday  reading, guests are encouraged to choose a book from their bookshelf that they think someone else might enjoy, wrap it, and bring it along.  Please don’t forget to pick one up to take home!      About the Speaker John is our Immediate Past President and was a Member of the National Committee of the AIIA for 9 years. He has represented the Institute on various occasions including a lecture at NATO Headquarters,  leading a delegation to the Republic of Korea and participation in at the second track Australia-New Zealand/ASEAN talks in Kuala Lumpur in 2019. He is a former Australian diplomat who served in Thailand and Indonesia and he has a keen interest in the immediate region and Australia’s place in the world. John is the Honorary Consul for Colombia in Western Australia and is on the Committee of the Consular Corps of WA Inc. John is also a Master of International Law from the Australian National University.  He speaks fluent Thai and Indonesian, and some Mandarin, French and Spanish. 

The U.S. Consulate General Perth and the Australian Institute for International Affairs Young Professional Network have partnered to bring to you an in person tabletop simulation exercise, custom-made to give young Australians hands-on experience on what it’s like to work as a diplomat and see how varied and fast-paced the work in an Embassy can be! This exercise will be focused on students and young career professionals and will see participants assigned real roles and responsibilities inside the U.S. Embassy and, over the course of the simulation, work through a series of crisis points with colleagues and Embassy leadership to resolution. Please note that spots are limited to 25, so we encourage you to sign up ASAP! Due to the limited numbers registration is essential! We hope to see you there! All questions about this event can be emailed to wa.branch@internationalaffairs.org.au. If you have any accessibility queries, please get in contact as we are committed to ensuring you have the best experience possible!

Developments in Afghanistan have been impacting Australia for several decades. From being a partner in the US led armed intervention following 9/11 and the long commitment to the country’s security and development that ensued, to the thousands of people from Afghanistan resettled in this country, what has happened in Afghanistan has had consequences for Australia. The dramatic withdrawal of the US military earlier this year which saw the unexpectedly quick return to power of the Taliban in Kabul has ensured that developments in Afghanistan will continue to impact Australia. Our first speaker will be Sherry Sufi who will be looking at the geopolitical impact of events in Afghanistan. In particular he will be discussing how China and Russia are well placed to take advantage of the vacuum left with the withdrawal of the US and its allies after a twenty year presence in the country. He will be exploring how these new alignments could impact the geopolitical future of the region. Our second speaker will be Sarah Janali who will be focusing on the impact of developments in Afghanistan closer to home. She will be talking about how the return of the Taliban is affecting the lives of Australia’s Afghan community and local community responses to the humanitarian crisis.  In addition to sharing insights into the current challenges facing the Afghan diaspora Sarah will touch on on global approaches to refugee resettlement and Australia’s policy response.   About the speakers Dr Sherry Sufi is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs. He is a Western Australian author, columnist, and political commentator. He is outspoken on democratic values, civil liberties, and free speech. Dr Sufi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, a Diploma of Information Systems, a Master of Arts in Politics and International Studies, a Master of History, and a Doctor of Philosophy for which he received an award for outstanding research. He fluently speaks, reads, and writes multiple languages. Dr Sufi has made appearances on Sky News Australia and 2GB radio. His articles have been published in The Australian, The West Australian, Fairfax media, PerthNow, The Spectator, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. He was the recipient of the Berger Fellowship award to visit Israel on a study tour through the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies in 2018. Dr Sufi is the Editor-in-Chief of the Liberal Party of WA’s policy journal, The Contributor, which he co-founded in 2014. He has organised and hosted many panel discussions and public seminars on topical issues, including an unprecedented debate on the Israel-Palestine conflict that featured prominent leaders from Australia’s Jewish and Palestinian communities. Since 2015, Dr Sufi has served as Chairman of the Policy Committee for the Liberal Party of WA at the state level. In 2019, he was awarded a Meritorious Service Award by the Liberal Party of Australia at its annual WA State Conference in recognition of his unwavering commitment to liberal values.   Sarah Janali holds a MA in International & Community Development and a BA (Honours in Asian Studies & Political Science). Sarah has worked in the community development industry for the past 17 years and has a passion for developing communities that are welcoming and enabling of migrants and refugees. For the last decade Sarah has led a number of award winning community based initiatives that promote the inclusion of newcomers including the Kaleidoscope Initiative which aims leverage the skills and talents that migrants and refugees bring to Australia through reducing barriers to employment. In 2015 Sarah completed a Churchill Fellowship on the role of local government in promoting the integration and participation of migrant and refugee communities. Sarah has a strong connection to Perth’s Afghan community and is currently supporting a number of community based initiatives in response to the crisis.

At our October event, Dr Jie Chen will review the tumultuous political transformation of Hong Kong after the 1997 handover from Britain to China.  While Deng Xiaoping had pledged “one country, two systems” for the governance of the former British colony, the implementation of the principle was always lopsided. For example, the central government failed to honour the promise of universal  suffrage for both Chief Executive and Legislative Council.  Popular dissatisfaction, particularly manifest in the Umbrella Movement of 2014 and anti-extradition protests in 2019, triggered systematic and brutal crackdowns by the Xi Jinping leadership and led to the imposition of the National Security Law in 2020. This presentation seeks to explain why Beijing’s approach has shifted from a relatively liberal policy towards a vehement existential assault on democratic institutions, civil society and rule of law – celebrated by mainland patriots as the achievement of the “real return” of Hong Kong. The presentation will end with some comments on Hong Kong’s future including the struggle of what remains of the democracy movement.   About the speaker Dr. Jie Chen, originally from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Beijing), is an Associate Professor teaching and researching the politics and international relations of Greater China at the discipline group of Political Science and International Relations, at the University of Western Australia. He received Ph.D from the Australian National University in 1995. He has published widely on those subjects, with his third book being The Overseas Chinese Democracy Movement: assessing China’s only open political opposition (Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, Dec. 2019).