Lowy Institute Events

On 3 December, the Institute welcomed Senator Tim Ayres, Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science, to Bligh Street to launch the Australian Government’s National AI Plan. His speech outlined how we can harness the opportunities of AI, spread the benefits across society, and keep Australians safe. More episodes of the Lowy Institute's podcasts are available on your favourite podcast apps, including Spotify, YouTube and Apple. Follow the Lowy Institute on our website, X, Instagram or LinkedIn. Watch this event on Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Troy Bramston is a senior writer at The Australian and author of the new biography Gough Whitlam: The Vista of the New — the first comprehensive biography of Australia's 21st prime minister since his death in 2014. Drawing on newly opened archives and more than 100 interviews, Bramston offers fresh insights into one of the most consequential periods in Australian history. Speaking with the Lowy Institute's Director of Research David Dutton in Sydney, Bramston examines Whitlam's opening to China, the end of White Australia, independence for Papua New Guinea, and the complexities of East Timor and the alliance with the United States. He explores how Whitlam's realpolitik approach transformed Australian diplomacy and why his legacy continues to shape our approach to the region today. More episodes of the Lowy Institute's podcasts are available on your favourite podcast apps, including Spotify, YouTube and Apple. Follow the Lowy Institute on our website, X, Instagram or LinkedIn. Follow David Dutton and Troy Bramston on X.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute launched the 2025 edition of the Asia Power Index on 9 December in Melbourne. Lydia Khalil convened this conversation with Susannah Patton, project lead for the Asia Power Index, Richard McGregor, senior fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute, and Professor Bec Strating, director of the La Trobe Centre for Global Security. The panellists discussed the 2025 Asia Power Index findings, focusing on the shrinking power gap between the US and China, with the US experiencing decline due to Trump's tariff policies and reduced diplomatic engagement, while China positions itself as a stable regional partner. They also examined the challenges facing middle powers like Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asian nations, as well as Australia falling to sixth place amid questions about its ability to resource its growing security commitments in the region. The Asia Power Index is the Lowy Institute's annual flagship publication tracking the changing distribution of power in Asia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Michael Fullilove AM, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, gave a speech to the Institute titled "Present at the Destruction" on Tuesday 29 November 2025. In these remarks, he reflects on the ABC Boyer Lectures he delivered a decade ago. ​ Dr Fullilove believes we are present at the destruction of an international order that served our interests well. The liberal order has become something illiberal and disorderly. On the other hand, the return of political stability to Australia's government should set us up to make bold decisions. He assesses Australia's international policies, in particular the stabilisation of relations with China, the energetic diplomacy in Southeast Asia and the Pacific and the agreements Canberra has signed with Pacific Island countries and Indonesia. In time, he hopes these agreements will come to form a latticework of mutual strategic trust. This is the moment, Dr Fullilove suggests, for Australia to increase its investment in both diplomacy and deterrence. Our country should take on an even more demanding regional role, including by helping to coordinate the Indo-Pacific allies in their dealings with the Trump administration. After his speech, Dr Fullilove joined the Institute’s Deputy Research Director Susannah Patton for a conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Director-General of Security Mike Burgess delivered the 2025 Lowy Lecture before a packed Sydney Town Hall on Tuesday 4 November 2025. In his address and subsequent conversation with the Lowy Institute's Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove, Mr Burgess spoke about the interplay between threats to Australian security, including those which emanate from abroad, and our country’s social cohesion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this interview, the Lowy Institute's Sam Roggeveen speaks with one of Asia’s most respected and trenchant observers of modern geopolitics, Bilahari Kausikan, as he discusses his new Lowy Institute Paper, “The Myth of the Asian Century”. "The Myth of the Asian Century" is published by Penguin. It is available in bookstores and as an e-book: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-myth-of-the-asian-century-a-lowy-institute-paper-penguin-special-9781761357992. The Lowy Institute Papers are the Lowy Institute’s flagship publications. They are peer-reviewed essays and research papers on key international issues affecting Australia and the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two of Washington, DC's most respected journalists, Susan Glasser and Peter Baker, join the Lowy Institute's Executive Director, Dr Michael Fullilove, for a special conversation at the 2025 Lowy Institute Media Award Dinner. Susan Glasser, appointed to the Lowy Institute Board in January 2025, is a staff writer at The New Yorker and has served as the top editor of several Washington publications, including Politico. Her books include Kremlin Rising and the New York Times bestseller The Man Who Ran Washington, covering Donald Trump’s first four years in the White House — both co-written with her husband, Peter Baker. Peter Baker is the Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration. He joined The Times in 2008 after 20 years at The Washington Post and has covered the White House across six presidencies. Baker has written seven books, most recently The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017–2021, also co-authored with Susan Glasser.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Under new leadership, Indonesia continues to face a persistent and complex challenge: governance. As the country strives to maintain political stability and meet ambitious economic targets, governance reform has become central to meeting both domestic development goals and international commitments. Will political and economic developments in Indonesia enable it to escape the middle-income trap? How can Indonesia balance its climate change pledges with its industrial agenda, and what role does the carbon market play? Can the pursuit of OECD and CPTPP membership act as leverage to drive necessary governance reforms? This panel discussion features Professor Shiro Armstrong (Australian National University), Dr Ida Aju Pradnja Resosudarmo (Australian National University), Dr Liam Gammon (Australian National University) and Dr Axel Michaelowa (University of Zurich). The discussion was moderated by Lowy Institute Research Fellow Dr Hilman Palaon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two prominent Australian commentators from opposite sides of the defence debate meet to discuss Australia’s security, America’s role in Asia, the AUKUS partnership and more. Jennifer Parker from the National Security College, ANU, makes the case for an Australian defence policy with a maritime focus. The Lowy Institute’s Sam Roggeveen argues for a continental strategy that is less centred on the US alliance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2025 Malaysia hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), putting it at the centre of regional geopolitics. Its prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has an ambitious agenda to steer the group through the challenges posed by rising geopolitical tension. How will Malaysia navigate a trade war and competition between the United States and China? And how will its identity as a diverse Muslim majority country and advocate for the global south shape its positions at a time of multiple crises and conflicts? Associate Professor Ngeow Chow-Bing (University of Malaya), Associate Professor Syaza Shukri (International Islamic University of Malaysia), Associate Professor Ross Tapsell (Australian National University), discuss these issue with Lowy Institute Southeast Asia Program director Susannah Patton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the highlights of a special invitation-only event to hear from The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs as he chats with Dr Michael Fullilove AM. The Foreign Secretary delivers an address on the evolving Australia-UK strategic relationship and global challenges followed by a Q&A. Watch the full length video here: https://youtube.com/live/SLKFANYC7YA?feature=shareSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the highlights of this discussion recorded in Sydney on how Australians are grappling with seismic shifts in the global order. Drawing on the perspectives of Shadow Assistant Minister and former ambassador Dave Sharma, ABC senior journalist Isabella Higgins, Southeast Asia expert Susannah Patton, and Lowy Institute Poll author Ryan Neelam, this event explores how Australians view the country’s relations with the United States and China, their perceptions of threats, their thoughts on the conflict in Ukraine, and their views on influence in the Pacific, foreign aid, democracy and more. Watch the full event here: https://youtube.com/live/ni1O-plt3f4  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to this timely discussion about how Australians see the world and their place in it. Drawing on the experience of Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh, SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson, ABC Foreign Affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic, and Lowy Institute Poll author Ryan Neelam, this event, recorded on Tuesday 24 June 2025, explored Australians’ views on the fracturing of the rules-based international order, attitudes towards the superpowers, Donald Trump’s policies, defence and security, the economy, climate change and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August 2020, Cheng Lei, a Chinese-Australian journalist, had her life turned upside down.   An anchor in Beijing for a business television program, Cheng Lei was arrested by officers of China’s Ministry of State Security on charges of espionage. Detained, isolated and interrogated, she was cut off from her family and friends for more than three years, until her release in late 2023. Cheng Lei is now telling her story in her new book, A Memoir of Freedom. On Tuesday 17 June 2025, the Lowy Institute launched Ms Cheng's book story. She was interviewed on stage by the Lowy Institute’s Richard McGregor, followed by a Q&A with the audience.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr John Hamre, president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and former US Deputy Secretary of Defence, joins Dr Michael Fullilove AM, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute, to discuss President Trump’s record, his likely approach to the Western alliance, and Australia’s strategic outlook. Their conversation touches on news that the Trump administration will conduct a review of the AUKUS partnership, and previews the upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet with leaders of major Western powers — and where President Trump is expected to take centre stage. This event was recorded at the Institute's headquarters at 31 Bligh Street in Sydney on Thursday 12 June 2025. You can watch the event at the Lowy Institute website.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Hauser, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, delivered an address before the Lowy Institute on Thursday 22 May to discuss the Australia–China economic relationship in a time of great uncertainty. Following his address, Mr Hauser was joined by Lowy Institute China expert Richard McGregor and Nonresident Fellow Dr Jenny Gordon for a panel discussion moderated by Roland Rajah, the Institute's lead economist. The panel discussed the future of Australia–China economic ties amid shifting global dynamics, rising tariffs, and mounting regional tensions, and considered where the relationship may be headed in the medium and long term.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States has seen profound shifts in policy since the re-election of President Donald Trump. It’s clear that the themes of Trump 1.0 — his narrow definition of the US national interest, his scepticism of alliances, and his hostility to free trade — are also animating Trump 2.0. In a special event in the week that we mark the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term, hear insights from Susan Glasser, the Washington correspondent for The New Yorker and Lowy Institute Board member. The conversation is hosted by Dr Michael Fullilove AM, the Executive Director of the Lowy Institute. Susan and Michael analyse the first 100 days of Trump 2.0 and the implications for Australia and the world. Susan Glasser joins the conversation online from Washington and Michael Fullilove hosts an in-person audience at 31 Bligh Street. The discussion is followed by an audience Q&A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute was honoured to host His Excellency Surangel Whipps Jnr, President of the Republic of Palau, to deliver the 2025 FDC Pacific Leaders’ Address. Since taking office in 2021, President Whipps has been a champion of Pacific leadership on regional security, climate, marine conservation and trade and economic issues. He shares Palau’s perspective on the evolving strategic landscape in the Pacific, highlighting the impacts of recent geopolitical shifts and competition for regional influence, noting in particular Palau’s recognition of Taiwanese independence and its recently renewed Compact of Free Association with the United States. He also discusses emerging development partnership realities in the wake of the re-election of US President Donald Trump, the revisiting of US foreign aid relationships, and the new landscape for pursuing Pacific sustainable development objectives, including accelerating the energy transition towards a fossil-fuel-free Pacific, addressing proposals for Pacific deep seabed mining, and advancing climate adaptation and marine conservation efforts. With Australia bidding to co-host COP31 in 2026 with Pacific Island countries, President Whipps reflects on the critical importance of a real and robust partnership between Australia and its Pacific neighbours in confronting climate change and achieving ambitious and responsible global outcomes amid growing geopolitical headwinds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amid a US retreat from the Pacific under President Donald Trump, and intense competition for regional influence between Australia and China, the Pacific faces mounting pressures from climate change, transnational crime, internal instability, and at times even political upheaval. Listen to an insightful panel discussion with the ABC’s in-country Pacific journalists working on the frontlines of the rapidly changing political and security landscape in our near region. Hosted by: Mihai Sora, Director, Pacific Islands Program, Lowy InstituteSpecial guest speakers: • Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong, Solomon Islands correspondent • Belinda Kora, Papua New Guinea correspondent • Marian Kupu, Tonga correspondent • Lice Movono, Fiji correspondentThis special event coincides with the second anniversary of the founding of the Pacific Local Journalism Network (PLJN), a flagship program supported by ABC International Services under the ABC’s Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, the Chief of Army, delivered a special address before the Lowy Institute on Thursday 3 April 2025. He spoke about the state of the Army profession and proposed key actions to strengthen the institution. This is the third in a series of significant speeches from the Chief of Army. The first laid the theoretical foundations for the Army profession, while the second examined the historical, cultural and institutional challenges faced by the Army.  Following the address, the Lowy Institute’s Executive Director, Dr Michael Fullilove AM, chaired a Q&A session with the Chief of Army. Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, AO DSC, has more than 35 years of military experience, including leadership roles in operations, training, and capability development. He has commanded forces in East Timor, Afghanistan, and Egypt/Israel and most recently served as Head of Land Capability in Army Headquarters after commanding the Multinational Force and Observers. A graduate of the Royal Military College – Duntroon, UK Joint Services Command and Staff College, US Army War College, and Harvard Business School, he holds advanced degrees in Project Management, Defence Studies, and Strategy. He has been appointed Officer of the Order of Australia and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.