The Australian Institute of International Affairs is partnering with the Australian National University and Bond University to present the ‘Australian Diplomacy Today Symposium’ at the Australian National University on 28 August 2015. The event will be opened by the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Peter Varghese AO.

The symposium has the aim of bringing the small but growing community of practitioners and scholars with an interest in Australian diplomacy together to reflect, share ideas and critique recent successes and developments in Australian diplomacy and to consider challenges and opportunities ahead.

It will be a full-day event with a reception to follow, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Public Diplomacy Division. There will be a number of prominent speakers presenting on a broad range of topics grouped into four areas of diplomacy: Forums, Tools, Actors and Themes. Following each group of presentations, a practitioner with rich experience in the field will give a response to the addresses.

Forums

United Nations Security Council
Associate Professor Jochen Prantl, Director, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, Australian National University
Dr. Jeremy Farrall, Fellow, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, Fellow, Australian Research Council Linkage Industry, Australian National University

Economic Diplomacy
Tristram Sainsbury, Research Fellow, G20 Studies Centre, Lowy Institute

Regional Organisations: MIKTA, IORA, ASEAN
Dr. Susan Harris Rimmer, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Asia Pacific College of Diplomacy, Australian National University

Chair: Dr. Russell Trood, Visiting Fellow, Australian National University, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Australia for Eastern Europe

Practitioner response: Michael Bliss, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Tools

Aid
Ben Day, PhD candidate, Australian National University

Humanitarian
Dr. Jacinta O’Hagan, Fellow, Department of International Relations, Australian National University

Consular
Alex Oliver, Director, Polling, Lowy Institute

Cultural Diplomacy
Dr. Alison Broinowski, Research Affiliate, Centre for Asian Histories, Australian National University

Practitioner response: James Batley PSM, Former Deputy Secretary, Department Foreign Affairs and Trade, Former Deputy Director-General, Country Programs Group, AusAID

Actors

Civil-Military Diplomacy
Major General (Retd) Michael G. Smith AO, Founding Executive Director of the Australian Civil-Military Centre, APCD Visiting Fellow

Parliamentary
Janelle Saffin, Former Member of the Parliment of Australia’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Honorary Fellow of Southern Cross University

Sport
Dr. Stuart Murray, Assistant Professor, Bond University

Diaspora Diplomacy
Elena Douglas, Convenor, Centre for Social Impact, University of Western Australia
Professor Diane Stone, Vice President, International Public Policy Association

Practitioner response: Robert Tranter, First Assistant Secretary, Public Diplomacy and Communications Division, Department Foreign Affairs and Trade

Themes

Public Diplomacy: From Image Making to Relationship Building
Dr. Caitlin Byrne, Assistant Professor, Bond University

Diversity and Diplomacy
Melissa Conley Tyler, National Executive Director, Australian Institute of International Affairs

Decency and Diplomacy
William Fisher, Former Australian Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism, Department Foreign Affairs and Trade

Impact of Refugees
Professor William Maley, Founding Director, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy

Practitioner response: Professor Ramesh Thakur, Director of the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Crawford School, Australian National University

The symposium will be free and open to the public through online bookings. To view the full program and to book, CLICK HERE