Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Tuesday 15 October
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
At a state dinner in Jakarta, Tony Abbott’s first foreign destination as prime minister, the new Australian leader said that there have been times when ‘all sides of Australian politics could have said less and done more’. Australia’s recent handling of issues relating to asylum seekers and live cattle exports to Indonesia has at times been light on diplomacy. But does the new asylum seeker policy continue this trend?
How has Prime Minister Abbott fared in his initial dealings with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono? And how will the Australian government fare in balancing its domestic policy agenda on asylum seekers with Indonesia’s desire for a multilateral approach?
Fifth Estate host Sally Warhaft will be joined by a panel of experts including Greg Sheridan (the Australian’s foreign editor) and Dr Dave McRae (the Lowy Institute’s Indonesia expert) to discuss Australian-Indonesian relations, and the key responsibilities and obligations of both nations, in this new political climate.
Featuring
Greg Sheridan
Greg Sheridan is the Australian’s foreign editor, and one of the most influential foreign affairs analysts in Australian journalism. After 35 years in the field, he is a veteran of international affairs who has interviewed leaders all over the Asia Pacific and America.
He began journalism in the late 1970s at the Bulletin magazine. He has had a life-long love affair with Asia and knows its leaders and societies intimately, having interviewed presidents and prime ministers in Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, The Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand and numerous other countries.
His work has appeared in newspapers around the world, including the Sunday Times of London, the Wall Street Journal, the Asian Wall Street Journal, the Jakarta Post and the South China Morning Post. He is a frequent foreign affairs commentator on radio and television and is a sought-after speaker at conferences around the region.
Dave McRae
Dave McRae is a research fellow at the Lowy Institute. He has researched conflict, politics, democratisation and human rights issues in Indonesia for well over a decade, and holds a Ph.D. in Southeast Asian Studies from ANU. He is the author of A Few Poorly Organized Men: Interreligious Violence in Poso, Indonesia.
Sally Warhaft
Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. She is the host of The Fifth Estate, the Wheeler Centre’s live series focusing on journalism, politics, media, and international relations, and The Leap Year ...