New South Wales

NSW Branch Membership

Membership of the Australian Institute of International Affairs NSW (AIIA NSW) gives access to the pre-eminent public network of expert knowledge on international affairs in Australia. To gain a competitive edge in this rapidly globalising world, individuals and organisations need to secure the best, politically independent information and analysis. Whether you’re looking to stay on top of relations with India, China, the United States or Europe, whether your field of interest is developments in the Middle East or the Pacific, membership of the AIIA should be a priority: the AIIA is the oldest, most prestigious and respected organisation of its kind in Australia.

To pay by credit card through Stripe please go to NSW’s GlueUp page or follow the relevant links above.

By bank transfer to our account at Westpac. The BSB number is 032 197 and the account number 327782. To confirm you have done this, please email: nswexec@internationalaffairs.org.au

By cheque mailed to AIIA NSW, The Glover Cottages,124 Kent St, Sydney 2000  To confirm you have done this, please email: nswexec@internationalaffairs.org.au

What We Do

The AIIA is one of Australia’s premier think tanks, promoting public engagement with international affairs across a wide range of topics. The importance of the AIIA NSW lies in the variety of perspectives it brings to the most pressing international issues. The AIIA is an independent organisation and its weekly Sydney meetings are enriched by valuable input from academics, diplomats, journalists, and specialists from diverse backgrounds.

AIIA NSW members can keep their practical understanding of international affairs up to date by joining the AIIA’s international study tours. Study tours are led by field-experts and run regularly to regions and countries of global importance. Recent tours have visited China and Indonesia. The AIIA NSW’s continuing contact with international organisations and think tanks abroad ensures the international relevance and accuracy of its work.

The AIIA NSW also plays an important role on the frontline of international relations, receiving overseas delegations and cultivating relationships with organisations and persons in other countries. As well as looking outward, the AIIA NSW remains engaged with the embassies and community organisations that represent Australia’s vibrant international interests here in Sydney.

The AIIA NSW is committed to the future of international affairs in Australia, with opportunities for youth engagement built into all operations. The AIIA NSW Intern Program gives the next generation of international thinkers the valuable opportunity to gain practical experience of the AIIA’s functions and processes. The AIIA also partners with youth organisations across Sydney for specialist events, including NSW Young Lawyers, Sydney International Young Professionals, the major universities in the greater Sydney region and Young UN Women.

The AIIA NSW is an independent, non-profit organisation, committed to the promotion of informed discussion among the Australian public on international issues and their impact on Australia. Members and visitors hear well informed speakers discuss international issues in an informal environment at the historic Glover Cottages, at 124 Kent St, Sydney

NSW Executive & Council 2025/2026

The NSW Executive and Council were elected at the AGM on December 2, 2025 and will be in their elected positions until the next AGM.

Ian Lincoln has been president of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, New South Wales, since December 2017. He was vice president from 2015 to 2017 and a member of the AIIA NSW council from 2013. He has previously been a member of the AIIA national conference organising committee, the Australian  Outlook commissioning editors group and the national programming working group. He was a member of the AIIA Victoria council from 1993 to 1997.

Ian was in the Department of Foreign Affairs from 1967 to 2000 with postings in Asia, the Pacific, Africa and Europe. Policy work in Canberra included South Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East, arms control, the United Nations, and intelligence policy. He was Consul-General in Noumea, Ambassador to Vietnam, Director of the Foreign Affairs office in Victoria and Deputy High Commissioner in New Zealand. He worked as a training consultant to a number of government departments in Canberra from 2000 to 2002. From 2002 to 2004 he was a member of the Refugee Review Tribunal in Sydney. He graduated with first-class honours in history and political science, with a major in psychology, from the University of Queensland and later obtained an M.Phil. in international relations at the London School of Economics.

Chris Khatouki is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. He held a Graduate Fellowship with the Korea Foundation from 2021 to 2024 and was a Visiting Scholar at the Ewha Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul. He was also appointed a Next Generation Policy Specialist on Korean peninsula security by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in Washington, DC.

Michael  Lee retired at the end of 2024 as the CEO of Global Management Strategic Focus Pty Ltd.  The company specialised in business advice, acquisitions, divestments and business turnaround. He retired from the Australia Industry Group (AIG)  in 2022.  He is still a mentor to many young professionals. In 2019, he invested in a start up online Wellbeing company, Inner Origin Pty Ltd and was appointed personal coach & mentor to the CEO.

He joined the Zip Industries Group in 2001 as group finance director and was promoted to chief operating officer during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008. He retired as CEO of the company in December 2014.

Prior to working at ZIP, he worked as finance director at Nick Scali Furniture Pty Ltd (1999 to 2001) and as the operations & finance director at Cenovis Pty Ltd (1989 to 1996) – both leading Australian brands in their own industry.

Michael owned an event management business between 1996 and 1999 which was sold to a US company prior to the Sydney Olympics. He spent 15 years in New Zealand and was the group accountant of the Fletcher Challenge Group, New Zealand’s largest company and was group financial controller and company secretary of Challenge Meats Pty Ltd – a subsidiary of Fletcher Challenge (1981 to 1988). Michael commenced his career in audit in 1977 and was audit supervisor at KPMG Wellington, New Zealand until he left in 1981.

Ian Thomson recently renewed his involvement with AIIA NSW having been in Hong Kong, China since 2007.  He previously had a long-term association with the Institute from the late 1980s; he was the NSW Treasurer and later also National Treasurer until 2007.

Jocelyn Chey is Visiting Professor at the University of Sydney and Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University and UTS Sydney. She was previously a senior officer in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, her last posting being as Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau (1992-95).  She was one of the earliest students in Australia to take up Chinese language and culture. She combines interests in history and classical studies with contemporary politics, economics and culture and is co-author and co-editor of a groundbreaking multidisciplinary study of Chinese humour.  Jocelyn is patron of the Australian International School of Hong Kong, having chaired the committee that founded the school. She was awarded the Australia-China Council Medal for contributions to the development of relations between Australia and China in 2008. In 2009 she was honoured with being made a Member of the Order of Australia and, in the same year, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.  She has been a councillor of AIIA NSW for more than ten years.

Ralph Housego holds a Bachelor of Arts/Advanced Studies in Politics and International Relations from the University of Sydney. He currently works in public policy consulting, working with state and federal government clients on a diverse range of public policy issues. He previously worked in research and analyst positions in government relations, as well as for an international business forum. Ralph is a former intern of the institute and has served on the council since 2023.

Paloma Hawkins

Glen Robinson is a co-founder of Asean Focus Group, which was formed in 1990 to provide advice and assistance to those organisations which wished to take up a commercial presence in Asean.  It has been successful in actually being effective and has worked with a significant range of companies, as well as the Indonesian BKPM, Thai BOI, Malaysian MIDA and Myanmar MIC, and other investment agencies in relation to their inward investment policies and strategies.  Throughout this process, he has developed a deep network of colleagues in the region in both government and the private sectors.

He has been heavily involved in the bilateral business councils of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor Leste and India.  Glen has a high level of interest in Australia’s position in the region, and is keen to see more involvement by Australian corporates at a higher level of commercial activity in the region.

Lily Manning

Matthew Vasic is a councillor and intern coordinator at AIIA NSW and was a former AIIA NSW intern. He has represented Australia at the ASEAN Youth and HPAIR conferences in Jakarta and New Delhi respectively and has also participated in the UN Economic and Social Council Youth Forum as an Australian delegate. Matthew has also been a spokesperson for the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program and has served as an ambassador for the New Colombo Plan. He is a final-year undergraduate student studying International Studies and Law at Western Sydney University and works as a paralegal. He is passionate about international affairs and, in particular, Eurasian geopolitics and Russian security policy.

Our History

The Australian Institute of International Affairs, New South Wales is Australia’s oldest think tank, established only four years after its parent organisation, The British Institute of International Affairs (now the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House). Archibald Hamilton Charteris, a distinguished member of the British Institute, founded a NSW branch in 1924 after coming to Australia to take up the position of Challis Chair of International Law and Jurisprudence at the University of Sydney. A. H. Charteris’s work combined his academic and research interests in IR with his practical experience in the British Admiralty and Intelligence during the First World War. Crucially for the Institute, he was also dedicated to bringing International Relations to the general public. His public lectures were well attended, and his witty talks on ABC radio made other broadcasters seem “laboriously well-informed, congenitally uninteresting, and cacophonous” by comparison (according W.S. Sheldon’s contribution to The Jubilee Book of the Law School of the University of Sydney 1890-1940, edited by Sir Thomas Bavin).

Archibald Hamilton Charteris went on to become the first president of the newly-formed Australian Institute of International Affairs, a federated body established in 1932 to incorporate the existing Victorian and New South Wales organisations. Today, the AIIA has grown to include seven branches across Australia. Like A. H. Charteris, early members of the AIIA NSW were the leading IR commentators and policy figures of the day, participating actively in International Affairs within governmental and other organisations at the highest level. During its history the AIIA has been honoured by the involvement of many distinguished figures including: Former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, Former Chief Justices Sir Garfield Barwick, Sir John Latham and Sir Owen Dixon, Former Governor General Lord Casey, and distinguished Australians Sir Ian Clunies Ross, Sir Richard Boyer, Sir Russel Madigan and E.C. Dyason.

The world was a very different place when the AIIA NSW began its mission to bring international affairs to the Australian public. Since 1924, Australia has transformed from a colonial outpost of imperial Britain to a truly international actor, deeply engaged with nations and organisations from every continent.  The Institute’s enduring commitment to independent analysis of the most important international issues has meant that the AIIA has continued to develop at the forefront of Australia’s changing role in global affairs.

Our current group of interns

Federico, Kimmy, Clodia, Mehnaaz, Jemma and Paolo

Read more about them in the bios below.

Applications for our Semester 1 2026 (February to June) internship program are now closed.

Internships at AIIA NSW are offered to university students who have an interest in international affairs, and who are looking to further develop their skills for future professional involvement in international policy. AIIA NSW internships are highly competitive and previous interns have found employment in Australian Public Service graduate roles, think tanks, not-for-profit organisations, business, law and academia.

Please note that the AIIA NSW is not considering interstate applications at this time and does not sponsor relocation to Sydney. For those residing outside of NSW, you can view internship opportunities at other AIIA branches here.

AIIA NSW’s internship program offers:

• Opportunities to attend speaker events, including private roundtable discussions with presenters before events
• Opportunities to publish opinion pieces on the AIIA website, including in AIIA’s national online publication Australian Outlook
• Participation in intern presentation and debate nights
• Training in event organisation, public speaking, debating and research
• Opportunities to network with experts and AIIA members, who have wide-ranging experience in international affairs
• Participation in masterclasses on diplomacy, publishing and management and an annual careers event
• Access to mentors from the public, private, academic and not-for-profit sectors

Internship duties

AIIA NSW interns must be able to commit to the full duration of the internship (February 15 – June 30). For Semester 1 internships, the duration will be from February to June, and for Semester 2 internships, the duration will be from July to December.  Internship periods roughly coincide with university timetables.

Interns must be available to assist during events which are usually held on Tuesday evenings at Glover Cottages in Sydney, and may need to allocate additional time to complete research and administrative tasks. Interns are expected to:

• Provide administrative assistance such as producing promotional information for events, assistance in setting up, managing multimedia and summarising events for the AIIA website
• Produce a short opinion piece of 600-800 words and an option to pitch another piece to Australian Outlook, both on topics of their choice
• Contribute to the Columns from Glover Cottages Newsletter
• Participate in intern presentations and debates
• Promote AIIA events in interns’ university campuses, and through other platforms including social media

Selection criteria

AIIA NSW is looking for current undergraduate students and postgraduate students who have:

• Excellent writing, research, presentation and public speaking skills
• Initiative and motivation
• Teamwork and time management skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Awareness of, and interest in, international affairs

Knowledge and prior experience with professional audio-visual equipment, social media management, online marketing and hosting webinar events through applications such as Zoom are highly desirable.

How to apply

Applications for internships are welcomed during the following period:

• For Semester 1 internships 2027, applications will open in November 2026 and close December 31.
• For Semester 2 internships 2026, applications will open in June

Applications should be emailed to nswinternships@gmail.com, with the subject “AIIA NSW Internship Application – Your Name”, and must contain:

• A brief cover letter that addresses the selection criteria
• A CV or resume, including contact details for two referees
• A sample of written analytical work that is no more than 3 pages in length. The sample should be on any topic of international affairs and should showcase analytical and communication skills rather than just subject-matter knowledge. For those who wish to submit a three-page extract of a larger piece, please include an introduction and conclusion. Do not submit co-authored pieces.

Please collate all documents into a single PDF attachment.

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to attend in-person or online interviews.

Enquiries

For further information, please email nswinternships@gmail.com.

Intern Coordinators and Councillors for 2026:

Ralph Housego holds a Bachelor of Arts/Advanced Studies in Politics and International Relations from the University of Sydney. He currently works in public policy consulting, working with state and federal government clients on a diverse range of public policy issues. He previously worked in research and analyst positions in government relations, as well as for an international business forum. Ralph is a former intern of the institute and has served on the council since 2023.

Paloma Hawkins

Lily Manning is an Honours Graduate in International and Global Studies at the University of Sydney. Her thesis examined areas of convergence and divergence in US and Australian Foreign Policy towards the People’s Republic of China since 1949. In 2023, she studied at Sciences Po Paris and speaks advanced French. She has previously worked as a Research Intern with the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre and also has experience within non-profit organisations.

Matthew Vasic is a councillor and intern coordinator at AIIA NSW and was a former AIIA NSW intern. He has represented Australia at the ASEAN Youth and HPAIR conferences in Jakarta and New Delhi respectively and has also participated in the UN Economic and Social Council Youth Forum as an Australian delegate. Matthew has also been a spokesperson for the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program and has served as an ambassador for the New Colombo Plan. He is a final-year undergraduate student studying International Studies and Law at Western Sydney University and works as a paralegal. He is passionate about international affairs and, in particular, Eurasian geopolitics and Russian security policy.

The Charteris Library is a small, specialized collection of books and papers located at the the Glover Cottages at 124 Kent Street, Sydney. . All  are available for reference to current AIIA NSW members. Donations and/or financial assistance are welcomed to enable the Charteris Library to expand its services.

Library Access

All current AIIA NSW members may access the Charteris Library. A booklist and possible online reference system are currently under development and are available in our online catalog.

Contributors

The Charteris Library has benefited from substantial donations, both financial and academic, that have added to the current collection. Many donated texts in the Charteris Library collection were authored by past and current members of the AIIA. The Library is named after Professor A. H. Charteris, the founding father and first president of the N.S.W Branch 1924-29.

Brief History

From 1935-71 permanent office and library space was acquired by the AIIA, housed at the Bank of New South Wales office at 369 George Street, Sydney. Before this the library had been housed in the university office of Professor MacDonald Holmes and contained all of the collection. From 1971-80 17 Renny Street, Paddington was the home of the N.S.W branch until the subsequent move in 1980 to the current premises at the Glover Cottages, 124 Kent Street, Sydney. The library, recently named the Charteris Library, has been steadily growing and expanding since its relocation from Paddington to Milsons Point.

Publications

See our national list of publications and policy commentaries.