Australian Perspective
Joe Hockey to the G20: 'Do less, focus more, get outcomes'
Treasurer Joe Hockey's speech at the Lowy Institute today picked up on, and in some areas expanded upon, many of the issues raised in Prime Minister Abbott's G20 address in Davos…
Julie Bishop focuses on PNG's women
On her first visit to Papua New Guinea as Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop has reconfirmed the high priority the Australia-Papua New Guinea relationship has for…
International events in 2014 will test Australian Government's climate credibility
After its first few months, the Abbott Government's domestic and international climate credibility is threadbare, as is its commitment to commercialising clean energy alternatives…
East China Sea: Is Australia hitting the 'pause' button on the Japan relationship?
Maybe Robert E Kelly is right that there has been too much gnashing of teeth and tearing of clothes over the very short change given to Asia in Barack Obama’s 2014 State of the…
Last call for the Australia Network?
And now the news: the Australia Network (described in The Australian's story as the 'Asian broadcasting service') is ‘likely to be scrapped in the May budget’.
No surprise,…
What Peter Cosgrove thinks about Indonesia
Australia's incoming Governor-General has put many of his thoughts to paper in various publications and talks in recent years. No doubt they will be subject to close examination…
Australia-China relations off the rails? Not so fast
Former Australian ambassador to China Dr Stephen FitzGerald threw brickbats at the Abbott Government this week.
In a guest post on John Menadue's blog, Fitzgerald took aim at the…
Australia-Indonesia relations: Getting ahead of the curve
Gary Hogan brings a light touch to explaining the otherwise depressing oscillations of the Australian-Indonesian relationship, but his sine-wave theory conveys the wrong policy…
Snowden leaks now hurting US exports, so is spying worth it?
Yesterday Peter McCawley noted that revelations of Australian spying on Indonesia are threatening to damage bilateral trade talks.
Today, more evidence that the Snowden leaks are…
Spying on Kristiani Herawati: A loss of judgement
The Weekend Australian carried a ‘well-sourced’ article defending our listening in on Kristiani Herawati, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's wife. Quoting the usual …