Programs & Projects

Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project

Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project

The Lowy Institute’s Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project looks at the efforts of foreign governments to influence and possibly interfere in Australian society, and the impact of these efforts on Australian democracy and multiculturalism. 

Australia’s Multicultural Statement states that Australia is the most successful multicultural country in the world. Further research is needed about the way in which foreign governments may work through foreign language media or culturally and linguistically diverse communities to further their own objectives. Government responses to these efforts should be informed by evidence directly from affected communities. 

The Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project, supported by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, will draw on quantitative and qualitative analysis to provide evidence-based policy options and fill some of these gaps in the discourse around multiculturalism and foreign policy. Responsibility for the views, information or advice expressed in this project are those of the author/s, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lowy Institute or the Australian government.  

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Cover image: Tomoaki INAB / Flickr

Experts
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News and media
Project Director, Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project
Senior Fellow for East Asia
Conversations: Zhiqun Zhu on Chinese foreign policy ahead of the 20th National Congress of the CCP
Podcasts
Conversations: Zhiqun Zhu on Chinese foreign policy ahead of the 20th National Congress of the CCP
In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Research Fellow Jennifer Hsu talks with Zhiqun Zhu to explore and assess some of China’s major foreign policy initiatives and…
Australia’s responsibility is to see, hear and advocate for the people of Taiwan
Commentary
Australia’s responsibility is to see, hear and advocate for the people of Taiwan
As China chastises Australia for not siding with the ‘victim’, let’s see Taiwan on its own terms and not through the frame of Sino-US rivalry. Originally published in The Guardian…
WeChat's role in Australian democracy: A grassroots view
Analyses
WeChat's role in Australian democracy: A grassroots view
A new study finds that despite drawbacks, the Chinese messaging app plays a vital role in the democratic participation of Chinese-Australians.
Conversations: Think local, act central - innovation in local level policymaking in China
Podcasts
Conversations: Think local, act central - innovation in local level policymaking in China
Research Fellow Jennifer Hsu speaks with Jessica Teets about policy experimentation and diffusion at the local level in China.
Conversations: Being Chinese in Australia - Public Opinion of Chinese Communities
Podcasts
Conversations: Being Chinese in Australia - Public Opinion of Chinese Communities
In this episode of Conversations, Jennifer Hsu talks with Natasha Kassam and Richard McGregor about the results of the second Lowy Institute’s Being Chinese in Australia survey…
Shanghai lockdown prompts collective action
Shanghai lockdown prompts collective action
The Shanghai lockdown following a Covid-19 outbreak last month saw the most stringent restrictions placed upon a Chinese city since the pandemic began. Although Chinese civil…
Five key findings from the Being Chinese in Australia survey
Five key findings from the Being Chinese in Australia survey
Australia is home to more than 1.2 million Chinese-Australians, some five per cent of the Australian population. Their experiences are as diverse as their views: many were born in…
The New Daily
19 December 2022
ABC RN Late Night Live
5 December 2022
The Christian Science Monitor
2 December 2022
The Christian Science Monitor
28 November 2022
ABC The Drum
28 November 2022