The FDC Pacific Lecture, was given by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji, the Hon Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka.

The Hon Sitiveni Rabuka is Fiji’s seventh elected Prime Minister, having previously served in the role from 1992 to 1999. He is also the current Minister for Foreign Affairs, Climate Change, Environment, Civil Service, Information, Public Enterprises and Veteran Affairs.

Prime Minister Rabuka has a distinguished military career and served as the Chair of Fiji’s Great Council of Chiefs from 1999 to 2001.

Prime Minister Rabuka spoke on Fiji’s economic recovery, future development ambitions and role in the region given intensifying geopolitical engagement. After his remarks, the Prime Minister spoke in conversation with the Lowy Institute's Executive Director, Dr Michael Fullilove AM.

The Prime Minister was introduced by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong.

The Rothschild & Co Distinguished International Fellowship brings an internationally recognised intellectual and policy leader to Australia to help deepen our debate on global issues.

Shivshankar Menon served as India’s National Security Adviser from 2010 to 2014, and prior to that as foreign secretary and ambassador to Beijing and Islamabad, among other capitals.

India, along with Asian geopolitics, has undergone rapid and accelerating change. Will India assume the role of a traditional power in a rebalanced Asian system? How will this affect the prospects for India’s increasingly close relationship with Australia and other major actors in the region? Shivshankar Menon argued that India’s move towards working ever more closely with the West is inevitable, but the devil is in the detail. 

Since 2013, the annual Owen Harries Lecture has honoured the significant contribution made to the international debate in Australia and the United States by Owen Harries, who was a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute.

In the wake of a shift in the global power balance, how can Australia best protect itself? 

The Echidna Strategy overturns the conventional wisdom about Australia’s security. Australia will need to defend itself without American help, but this doesn’t need to cost more. The Echidna Strategy sheds new light on the contest for leadership in Asia and the strategy Australia needs to thrive.

A conversation with the author, Sam Roggeveen, moderated by Lowy Institute Research Director Hervé Lemahieu, with questions from the audience.

Sam Roggeveen is the Director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program. He was the founding editor of The Interpreter and is the editor of the Lowy Institute Papers. Before joining the Lowy Institute, Sam was a senior analyst in Australia’s peak intelligence agency, the Office of National Assessments.

An address by foreign relations expert and former diplomat Dr Martin Indyk on US diplomacy in the Middle East and elsewhere, and lessons from history. Dr Indyk discussed his recent biography, Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy, and the relevance of US diplomat Dr Kissinger for modern foreign policy challenges, including in Ukraine. After his remarks, Dr Indyk spoke in conversation with the Lowy Institute’s Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove.

Dr Martin Indyk is a former diplomat who is currently the Lowy Distinguished Fellow in US–Middle East Diplomacy at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Prior to this, he was the executive vice president of the Brookings Institution. He served twice as US Ambassador to Israel, from 1995 to 1997, and again from 2000 to 2001. Dr Indyk was special assistant to President Bill Clinton, senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the US National Security Council, and assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs at the US State Department. From 2013 to 2014, he served as President Barack Obama’s special envoy for Middle East peace. Ambassador Indyk is a founding member of the Lowy Institute Board.

The Foreign Minister of Germany Annalena Baerbock addressed the Lowy Institute via video link from Berlin. After her speech, Ms Baerbock spoke in conversation with the Lowy Institute's Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is now well into its second year. Ukraine’s much-foreshadowed counter-offensive is developing more slowly than expected. Meanwhile, Russia’s leadership was rocked by the recent failed mutiny by the private Wagner paramilitary group.

The Lowy Institute hosted Mick Ryan and Zoya Sheftalovich earlier in 2023 for an update on the Ukraine war. In July 2023, with Ukraine on the offensive and Russia’s internal political instability, we again hosted these two compelling experts to discuss how the war in Europe is evolving. The conversation was hosted by Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove and included questions from the audience. 

Major General (Ret’d) Mick Ryan is a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute. His book, War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict, was published in 2022. 

Zoya Sheftalovich is a contributing editor for POLITICO, based in Sydney. She is a regular commentator on the Ukraine war for ABC News 24.

More Australians feel safe than last year, their belief in democracy remains strong, and they are relatively hopeful about Australia’s economic outlook. But what do Australians see as the key threats to the nation? How do they view China in the context of thawing Australia–China relations? What do they think of AUKUS and nuclear-powered submarines? And do they think Australia’s ties with the Pacific are improving?

At our event in Sydney we unpacked the findings of the 2023 Lowy Institute Poll with a panel of Lowy Institute experts.

Now in its nineteenth year, the Lowy Institute’s flagship 2023 Lowy Institute Poll is the longest-running and broadest survey of Australian public opinion on foreign policy and global events. It is the key resource for anyone seeking to understand how Australians see the world and their place in it.

Our panel of experts included: Damien Cave, Australia Bureau Chief, The New York Times; Dr Meg Keen, Director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute; and Hervé Lemahieu, Director of Research, the Lowy Institute. The discussion was chaired by Ryan Neelam, Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program and the author of the 2023 Lowy Institute Poll.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated global digital connectivity, and the Pacific region is witnessing a surge in digital transformations. With increasing internet access, mobile phone usage, and government-led digital initiatives in health, education, and financial data, Papua New Guinea is experiencing a growing digital footprint.

However, there are still challenges to overcome, and Australia can play a pivotal role in supporting PNG’s digital connectivity through investment, capacity building, partnerships, technical assistance, and regional collaboration.

The 2022 Aus-PNG Network Emerging Leaders Dialogue explored these issues and more.

The evening of Tuesday 13 June marked the launch of our Dialogue Outcomes Report, Building the Australia-PNG Digital Ecosystem.

Featured a live panel discussion with Dialogue alumni:

• Jack Growden, Founder & CEO, LiteHaus International, on digital education
• Sarah Bornstein, Global Emergency Care Advisor, on digital innovation in health
• Clare Akauma, Assistant Site Manager, Graincorp, on digital innovation in sport and agricultural development.

 
The event was chaired by Mihai Sora, Aus-PNG Network Project Director.

Rugby league is a shared passion in Australia and Papua New Guinea, and, potentially, a powerful connector between the two countries. Sports diplomacy transcends borders, fosters mutual understanding, and promotes shared values. Half of all Australian National Rugby League players have Pacific heritage. 

As Australia looks to build closer ties with Papua New Guinea, the prospect of a PNG team joining the NRL has emerged as one way to strengthen people-to-people links. The PNG bid represents an effort to increase the presence of Papua New Guinean players in professional rugby league. If successful, it would make PNG the only country outside Australia and New Zealand to have a team in the NRL. But the bid is not without its challenges. 

On Tuesday 27 June, the Lowy Institute's Aus-PNG Network hosted this lunchtime event to explore the latest in Australia-PNG sports diplomacy. 

The Hon Pat Conroy MP, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, delivered an address and then took part in a panel discussion alongside: 

• Amelia Kuk, former PNG Orchids and Brisbane Broncos player
• David Mead, former PNG Kumuls captain, Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos player  

The event was chaired by Mihai Sora, Aus-PNG Network Project Director at the Lowy Institute.

Amelia Kuk is an accomplished former rugby league player and a pioneering figure in women’s sport. Recognised for her time with the PNG Orchids and Brisbane Broncos, Amelia has not only made her mark through exceptional athletic performances but also as an advocate for inclusivity and the advancement of women in rugby league.

Born in Port Moresby, David Mead moved to Australia when he was 12. David played 172 games in the NRL and 58 games in the English Super League before retiring at the end of 2022 NRL season. An alumnus of the Gold Coast Titans, the Brisbane Broncos and the Catalans Dragons, David also represented PNG on 15 occasions across 3 rugby league world cups. A devoted ambassador for his homeland, David has consistently championed rugby league at the grassroots level in PNG.