Foreign affairs and diplomacy have historically been a male arena, and this still prevails today. In Indonesia, gender socialisation has played a part in the increasing number of female diplomats.

We want to make it easier for interested Australians to access key official statements about the direction of Australian international policy. Current Events in Australian Foreign Policy will identify and collate important speeches, Parliamentary statements, press releases, and media interviews given by ministers and opposition spokespeople on foreign, trade, defence, and development assistance policy.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Pacific Islands Forum Special Leaders Retreat, Shadow Cabinet reshuffle, Payne on Myanmar, and more.

The International Court of Justice rendered a judgment last week that may have slipped under the radar at this heady time of year. This judgement has fascinating implications for the practice of international diplomacy.

We want to make it easier for interested Australians to access key official statements about the direction of Australian international policy. Here we identify and collate important speeches, Parliamentary statements, press releases, and media interviews given by ministers and opposition spokespeople on foreign, trade, defence, and development assistance policy.

Noah Riseman and Shirleene Robinson aim to rectify the unwritten nature of the history of LGBTI experiences in the Australian Defence Force. The book recognises the contributions of the LGBTI community, yet also powerfully illustrates the work still to be done to foster equality.

Australia’s prime minister was awarded the “Grotius Prize” for supporting the rules-based order. However, it is debatable whether Australia is living up to Grotian ideals.

Journalists from Australia and China have found themselves pawns in a series of tit-for-tat retaliations alongside increased trade restrictions and travel bans on visiting academics from both nations. Yet the atmosphere of distrust was not always the case.

Japan’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and return to commercial whaling in July 2019 marked an […]

Australia does not behave as a "good international citizen" anymore, but this is a strategic adaptation to a more demanding regional environment. With a challenging Indo-Pacific and declining US leadership, Canberra should engage strategically with long-overlooked states in the region.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Payne’s statement on consular support for Australian journalists in China; the announcement of several diplomatic postings; DFAT’s new Hardship Program for Australian citizens struggling to return from overseas; and more.