We were delighted to welcome former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, ALP Senator Raff Ciccone and ALP Candidate for Chisholm Jennifer Yang to Deakin Burwood for our ADI roundtable ‘Australia in Asia, Asia in Australia’.

Speaking authoritatively from experience as the former Prime Minister, former Foreign Minister and current President of the Asia Society Policy Institute, Mr Rudd reiterated the importance of strong ties with Asia moving into the future.

Mr Rudd stated that beyond the geographical reality of Australia’s placement on the global stage, our future requires us to deepen and broaden our relationships with our Asian neighbours. He said that these relationships are fundamental to our national security and to our economic future.

ALP candidate Jennifer Yang spoke about her desire to enter politics stemming from her partner’s early diagnosis of cancer developing her deep appreciation for the value of our Medicare system and the need to protect it from attack and funding decreases.

She also spoke about the importance of a strong higher education sector such as that of Australia. As one of the first choices for Asian international students, the students take the knowledge they learn back to their home countries to help better their own societies in a variety of ways.

Taking questions from Deakin University staff, academics and HDR students, the roundtable discussions covered topics such as multiculturalism in contemporary Australia, the need to become more ‘Asia-literate’, and managing the delicate relationship between two countries with differing domestic policy regimes.

From left: Senator Raff Ciccone; former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd; ALP candidate Jennifer Yang; Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander AO; ADI Deputy Director Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh; Head of SHSS Professor Matthew Clarke; and ADI’s Professor Greg Barton.

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