AIIA Tasmania News March 2025

Dear members

Our Branch program has for 2025 began with two highly successful events in late February.  Professor Gretta Pecl provided a well-received address “Climate change in Tasmania and beyond: impacts, adaptation and communication”.  Professor Pecl highlighted the collaborative, interdisciplinary, and novel approaches underway here in Tasmania to better communicate complex issues around climate change.

The branch also hosted HE Xiao Qian, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of China to the Commonwealth of Australia.  Ambassador Xiao’s speech “Join Hands in a Changing World for Greater Progress in China-Australia Relations” can be accessed at this link.

As advised late in February, Tasmanian AIIA friend and international journalist Peter Greste will be launching the national release of the movie based on his book “The Correspondent” in Hobart on April 14 at 6.15pm at the State Cinema.  Following the screening of the movie Peter will be in conversation with the movie’s star Richard Roxburgh (Peter interview Peter??). This promises to be a very special event, so I urge you to contact State Cinema as soon as possible for seats.

In addition, Peter will be sharing an informal morning tea with AIIA members on April 15 at 10am in Room 506 (the Mick Townsley Room) in the Social Sciences Building, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay.  Space is limited so we won’t be putting out at call for registrations.  However, if you would like to attend, PLEASE advise Kim Boyer on west.boy@bigpond.com by April 11.

On Thursday 1 May Professor Akiho Shibata from Kobe University in Japan wto speak on Japan and the Antarctic Treaty System in a time of increasing global geopolitical stress. This meeting will be held at the Law School, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay 5.30pm- 7.00pm.

We are working with partners (the University of Tasmania and DFAT ) on the arrangements   for the 2025 Plimsoll  lecture  to be held in late May 2025.

The annual Government House Lecture, will be held on Monday November 24 2025 with Professor Gordon Flake from Perth’s USAsia Centre confirmed as speaker.

Professor Marcus Haward

President

Tasmanian Branch

Australian Institute for International Affairs

17 March 2025