About the Lowy Institute

Our Building

The building that houses the Lowy Institute was built for the New South Wales Club founded in 1886. Located in Bligh Street in Sydney’s central business district, it is classified by the National Trust and listed for permanent conservation under the 1976 Heritage Act - one of the first buildings to be saved from demolition under the Act. It is the finest Italian Palazzo façade surviving from the Victorian period in Australia.

This classic sandstone building built of Pyrmont brick joinery, slate roof and fine Victorian interiors was designed by William Wardell, one of the most distinguished architects of his time.

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The 2011 Lowy Institute Poll

The seventh annual Lowy Institute Poll surveys Australian public opinion on a wide range of foreign policy issues. New questions this year cover attitudes towards the US alliance and the war in Afghanistan, opinions on basing US forces in Australia, WikiLeaks, foreign aid and the intervention in Libya.

The Poll also repeated questions asked in previous years, revealing trends in public opinion on topics such as climate change, asylum seekers, and attitudes towards Indonesia, the United States and China.

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Weathering change

For decades, extended nuclear deterrence (END) has supported stability and non-proliferation. But questions need to be asked about whether and how it might effectively endure in a changing world. Is END somehow coming to an end? Or should it and can it adapt to a 21st century strategic environment involving new threats, shifting power balances and fresh moves towards non-proliferation and disarmament?

In Weathering Change, prominent global experts and emerging scholars share their core assessments on the future of the so-called nuclear umbrella. Their points of difference and agreement make essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of international security and the practical prospects for eliminating nuclear dangers. This publication represents the Lowy Institute’s contribution to the Nuclear Security Project’s May 2011 conference and is designed to stimulate the thinking of policy leaders and opinion makers worldwide.
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