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  Simon Birmingham

  Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
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  David McAllister

  Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at European Parliament
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  Allan Gyngell

  National President at Australian Institute of International Affairs
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  Geraldine Doogue

  Senior Presenter at ABC

Plenary Session. With a global future looking ever more uncertain, how can we build a national strategy that preserves Australia’s interests and enhances its security? In the eyes of many observers, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has confirmed that the era of globalisation is over and we are again in a world dominated by great power rivalry with often horrific consequences. Are we entering a new era of power politics, and if so, what does Australia’s response need to be? Are we anywhere near understanding the complexity of the threats and challenges the country faces? Or are the critics correct in stating that a focus on military responses to regional issues has limited our strategic imagination? With such measures as “lawfare,” “grey-zone activity,” environmental instability, development strategies and effective diplomacy by potential rivals in our region, and pandemics identified as threats to Australian security, how can Australia best coordinate across its agencies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to address its regional security concerns?

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  Hugh White

  Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU
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  Hayley Channer

  Senior Policy Fellow at Perth USAsia Centre
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  Jacqui True

  Director of Monash University’s Centre for Gender, Peace and Security
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  Stan Grant

  International Affairs Editor at Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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  Ian Hall

  Professor and Acting Director of Griffith Asia Institute

Plenary Session. Although Beijing appears to have dialled back on “Wolf Warrior Diplomacy,” Australia’s relations with China are still near their lowest point since normalisation in the 1970s. Yet China remains Australia’s most significant trading partner. How should we best manage the nadir in the relationship, and is rapprochement possible or even desirable? Australia has proven that it can stand up to economic coercion, but with China seeking to diversify and reduce its reliance on mineral imports, will this be the case indefinitely? How should Australia approach issues that China has declared as its “core national interests?” Are there areas, such as climate, where the two nations can cooperate? What effect is our approach to China having on our relations with others in the region? And what can we glean from the 20th National Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party about shifts in China’s foreign policy?

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  Yun Jiang

  AIIA China Matters Fellow at Australian Institue of International Affairs
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  Glenda Korporaal

  Writer and Commentator at The Australian
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  Rowan Callick

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  Naoise Mcdonagh

  President at Australian Institute of International Affairs South Australia