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29 July 2026
Neighbours, not family: Rethinking Australia’s Pacific story
Australia calls itself the Pacific's partner of choice. But is the relationship built on mutual understanding, or is it driven by Canberra’s anxiety about China?
Professor Joanne Wallis, the author of a new book with Jack Corbett, Neighbours, joins the Lowy Institute’s Serena Sasingian to discuss Australia's uneasy colonial history in the region, the gap between its "Pacific family" rhetoric and its strategy of denial, and why aid hasn't bought the influence Canberra hoped for.
Wallis makes the case for a different frame altogether: not family, not chessboard, but neighbours.
Featuring
Serena Sasingian
Serena Sasingian is the FDC Pacific Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute, with more than 15 years of experience in development and public policy across government, private, and non-profit sectors.
Joanne Wallis
Joanne Wallis is Professor of International Security in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Adelaide.
Topics
