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Dr Jeffrey McGee is a Professor at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania. His work focusses on international law and governance issues relating to Antarctica, Oceans and Climate Change.

Geoffrey Wiseman is Professor and Endowed Chair in Applied Diplomacy in the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy, DePaul University, Chicago. Wiseman was posted to Australian embassies in Stockholm, Hanoi, and Brussels and was as an advisor to the Australian Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans. He has also worked in the Strategic Planning Unit of the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General and as peace and security program officer at the Ford Foundation. He has taught at the University of Southern California and the Australian National University.

Donald R. Rothwell is Professor of International Law at the ANU School of Law, ANU, and a specialist in polar law.

Dr Ruth Adler is the President of Diplomats for Climate Ltd, the mandate of which calls on Australia to take an international leadership role in meeting the global challenge of climate change. Ruth is a former senior career officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Diplomatic appointments included Ambassador to Ireland (2013-2016) and High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam (2006-2009), with earlier postings as Counsellor/Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy, Mexico City (1998-2000), and Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy, Manila (1991-1994). She is also an Adjunct Researcher with the School of Law at the University of Tasmania. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in international climate law and Latin American history and politics. She is the author of Financing Climate Justice: The Green Climate Fund in a Changing World (forthcoming, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, UK, February 2026). She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Jacqui True, FAIIA, FASSA, is Professor of International Relations at Monash University and Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence against Women (CEVAW). She received her PhD from York University, Toronto, Canada and has held academic positions at Michigan State University, the University of Southern California, and the University of Auckland. She is a specialist in Gender and International Relations. Her articles on gender mainstreaming and global governance and feminist research methodologies rank among the most highly cited in the field. Her current research is focused on understanding the political economy of post-conflict violence against women and the patterns of systemic sexual and gender-based violence in Asia Pacific conflict-affected countries. Recent publications include Reframing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Security Dialogue with Sara E Davies and Scandalous Economics: The Politics of Gender and Financial Crises (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016) edited with Aida Hozić.

Penny Wong was born in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Her family moved to Australia in 1976, when she was eight years old, and settled in Adelaide. She studied law and arts at the University of Adelaide. After university she worked for the trade union covering furniture industry employees, taking part in campaigns to improve pay and conditions for the union’s members, including poorly-paid female migrants working in upholstery workshops. She worked as an adviser to the NSW Labor Government where she helped develop forests policy, and then as a barrister, before being elected to the Senate for the Australian Labor Party in 2001. Senator Wong has been re-elected four times - in 2007, 2013, 2016 and 2022. With the election of the Rudd Government in 2007, she was appointed Minister for Climate Change and Water. In this position she significantly expanded the Renewable Energy Target, which has driven significant investment in wind and solar power. She also represented Australia in international climate change negotiations and developed the Rudd Government’s emissions trading scheme, a market based mechanism to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions in the most economically efficient way. After the federal election of 2010, Senator Wong was appointed as Minister for Finance and Deregulation. As Finance Minister she worked with Treasurer Wayne Swan to deliver three Budgets in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. She also implemented a policy to ensure women are considered for appointments to senior positions in government agencies and corporations. In 2013 Senator Wong was elected Leader of the Government in the Senate and, after the change of government in 2013, became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate – the first woman to hold either of these roles. She served as Shadow Foreign Minister for six years before the election of the Albanese Government in 2022, when she was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Wong seeks to rebuild Australia’s reputation as partner of choice - drawing on all elements of our national power – to build a stable and prosperous region, where sovereignty is respected and the rules of the road are upheld. As a proud representative of South Australia in the federal Parliament she has advocated for her State’s interests, including safeguarding the future sustainability of the Murray River and advancing the State’s economy. Senator Wong lives in Adelaide with her wife and their daughters.

Artyom Lukin is a professor at the School of Regional and International Studies at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. He is one of Russia’s leading experts on Asia-Pacific geopolitical issues.

Anna George is a former Australian ambassador and multilateral negotiator, and is currently an adjunct professor at the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Murdoch University. Her interests include the trade and security aspects linked to the spread of antimicrobial resistance including through the international food chain and the role of FTAs and WTO obligations influencing government’s decision making

Purnendra Jain is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Adelaide, Australia, where he served as Professor in Asian Studies for twenty-five years. Author and co-author of fourteen books, he has published extensively in prestigious international journals, and his commentary on Asian affairs appears frequently on radio, TV and online platforms. Recognised for outstanding scholarship, Prof Jain received the Japanese Imperial Order of the Rising Sun Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in 2020; was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 2022; and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs in 2024.

Dr Margherita Matera is a Lecturer in International Relations, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne.