"The cure against corruption is openness. We believe that countries with open governments, open economies and open societies will increasingly flourish, they will be more prosperous and they will strengthen their ...

At a time when there were only a few million people on Earth, the book of Genesis enjoined human kind to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth, and subdue it”.  In 1779, the Revd. Thomas Malthus published his ‘Essay ...

The presentation will commence at 6.20pm.     How genuine are the reforms taking place in Myanmar (Burma) and what is driving change in what has until recently been a country run by a repressive military regime?  The ...

The event will commence at 6.20pm.  In partnership with the University of Melbourne www.australiasroleintheworld.org.au AIIAV ACCESS event open to ...

The presentation will commence at 6.20pm.  2012 is a landmark year in Chinese politics.  The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will hold its 18th National People’s Congress in the northern autumn which will usher in major changes as ...

In partnership with the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Melbourne       Expert panellists:   • The Hon Robert M Hill, Chancellor, University of Adelaide; ...

The presentation will commence at 6.20pm.          Malaysia is a significant regional country with which Australia has important and wide ranging relations.  It plays a key role in regional ...

Presentation to commence at 5.50pm.          During his visit to Australia in November 2011, President Obama outlined his commitment to a much closer and enduring engagement for the United States ...

The presentation will commence at 5.50pm.      With every passing month of bluff and bluster, Iran is edging closer to developing a nuclear arsenal that would change forever the strategic equation in the greater Middle ...

Event will commence at 5.50pm. The deep-set problems in Italy are at the heart of the eurozone’s financial crisis – and there is now no other word than crisis for the current trauma.  Despite having the eurozone’s third largest ...

Presentation to commence at 5.50pm.       Over the last forty years, microfinance has been a growing movement in international development.  Primarily focused on women in low-income countries, it offers a ...

With a population of 1.2 billion people and a rapidly developing economy, India seeks to play an increasingly significant role in the international community.  Traditionally focussed on its relations with its neighbours, India has more recently ...

Les Rowe, Acting President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs Victoria, has pleasure in inviting you to attend our first New Members and Prospective Members Networking Evening to be held at the AIIAV ...

The presentation will commence at 5.50pm.  The first of the 2012 AIIAV Global Issues Series.  After several years of major economic and political upheavals, many believe the world is again on ...

The presentation will commence at 5.50pm.   The Australian uranium industry has had a chequered history, with continuing political restrictions on aspects of exploration, mining and export.  The ALP’s recent decision ...

 "More tears are shed over answered prayers than over unanswered ones” (Saint Teresa)  Dr Sally Totman will kick start our 2012 program with a talk on 1 February on the prospects for the Arab ...

***PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTITUTE FOR BOOKINGS***  You are warmly invited to join us for the final event on the Institute’s 2011 calendar, our traditional pre-Christmas Luncheon.  We are delighted this year to have ...

The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) is proud to announce the national launch of 'Middle Power Dreaming: 2006 -2010', the latest book in its series 'Australia in World Affairs'.  Starting in 1950, the series provides a ...

Event details to follow in 2012. 

The AIIA Victoria 2011 Annual General Meeting will be held on: Date:   Thursday 17th November Time:   5pm Venue: Dyason House, 124 Jolimont Road, East ...

A recent series of articles in 'The Age' shocked readers with a graphic depiction of life in Papua New Guinea, Australia's former colony.  Accompanying photographs showed images ranging from severely malnourished children battling TB and ...

An ACCESS event open to all In partnership with the Global Dialogue Foundation. Citizen Diplomacy is an emerging concept that aims at empowering ordinary citizens to strengthen inter-cultural ties, raise awareness and promote worldwide ...

As political turmoil overtakes one part of the Islamic world after another, one country stands out as a success story: Indonesia.  After decades of authoritarian rule, the world's most populous Muslim nation has transformed itself into a ...

An ACCESS event open to all:  ‘A woman multiplies the impact of an investment in her future by extending benefits to the world around her’ [USAID].  Therefore whether the goal is to reduce poverty and hunger; improve health or ...

PLEASE CONTACT THE INSTITUTE DIRECT FOR BOOKINGS We have pleasure in inviting you to join us ...

An ACCESS event open to all.    Phosphate is essential to the production of our food and is used extensively in Australian agriculture. The main source for most of our superphosphate fertiliser is phosphate rock from the Bou Craa ...

Prof. Geoff Raby brings a unique perspective to understanding China, based on his most recent experience as Australia’s Ambassador in Beijing and before that as Australia’s chief trade negotiator.  Drawing on his depth of experience, this is ...

How does the world see Australia? Do we live up to our self-image as the sun-blessed, relaxed, friendly and confident country, or does the world see us in an altogether different light?  Are we, as portrayed a decade ago by the American author ...

The earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of north-west Japan on 11 March this year also crippled all six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  The dramatic series of cascading events at the plant were widely reported, ...

For centuries, pirates have captured the imagination of people everywhere.  But the recent gangs of daring, ragtag pirates off the coast of Somalia, hijacking the crew and passengers of huge ships for ransom, have brought the scourge of piracy ...

A joint event with Monash University to discuss the challenges presented to democratic states by neo-jihadism around the globe. Terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, launched the ill-named global war on terror and ...

A fast-evolving India is following closely on the heels of China in the ranks of Asia's new powers, extending its economic, political, military and cultural influence across the region, and inspiring confidence in its future.  All this means that ...

The must attend event of the year.  Registration essential.  The ICC was created to provide inspiration and ...

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL The Victoria State Office of the  Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in ...

No nation in Latin America has been more interesting or more perplexing to outsiders these past few years than Venezuela under its larger-than-life President Hugo Chavez. His so-named Bolivarian revolution, fuelled by oil, has sought to serve ...

This event is the second free public lecture of the Fulbright Symposium – Australia-US Relations and the Rise of China. China’s ...

   Fulbright Symposium 'Australia-US Relations and the ...

Join us for this unique opportunity to tour the studios of Radio Australia and to gain an insight into its operations, including how it puts together programs and presents the news.  The visit will be hosted by the Chief Executive of Radio ...

At a time when China’s military rise is threatening to recast the balance of power in Australia’s region, the nation’s security and defence policy is under severe pressure on several fronts. The 2009 Defence White Paper which was framed ...

No part of the world seems more mysterious or forbidding than West Africa.  Australians think of it as a region of equatorial extremes, of being beset by poverty, disease and conflict.  We reflect on the dismal colonial period including the ...

Free public event     The ACCESS Network of the Australian Institute of International Affairs Victoria (AIIAV) invites you to a discussion of this contentious issue. In the wake of the 2011 ...

The ongoing debt crisis in Greece, Portugal and Ireland has raised concerns at Europe’s ability to cope with its problems.  At stake is the very survival of the European Union (EU) and, more particularly, the future of the ...

Australia India relations have been through some rough times in the past few years. Despite the two nations possessing a lot in common, the relationship has lacked the substance that Australia’s other dealings in Asia seem to enjoy. While ...

An ACCESS event open to all and held in partnership with the African Think Tank ACCESS, the youth network of the AIIAV, invites you to the second of two events examining the critical issues facing a part of the world that is suffering much ...

Uprisings against governments in one country after another are consuming the Middle East, with growing violence and casualties as authoritarian rulers seek to stay in power.  Iran's earlier 'Green Revolution' has been crushed for now with a ...

Guest Speakers:  Professor Nick Bisley, Politics & International Relations, La Trobe University;  Dr Paul Monk, Austhink Consulting;  Mr Rowan Callick, editor, ...

Event cancelled Cost:  $12       Teachers free     Limited seating      Bookings essential     Individual bookings ...

Australia and the Republic of Korea (also known as South Korea) are strong economic, political and strategic partners with common values and interests in a key part of our region. Economic relations, in particular, are complementary and ...

Osama bin Laden's death was a big if belated achievement for the US, but how much significance should we attach to it?  The al-Qaeda leader's ideas retain wide currency and he could be converted into martyrdom.  Yet it could be argued that ...

Cost:  $12    Teachers free     Limited seating      Bookings essential     Individual bookings ...

Vietnam has undergone profound social and economic transformation since the doldrum years following the ending of the Vietnam War in 1975.  By almost any measure Vietnamese are much better off than previously. The visit took place between ...

Recent events in the Middle East highlight the reality that energy supply security is a key element in the global energy system.  The interruption of the oil flow from Libya and the instability characterising EU-Algerian energy trade have raised ...

Africa is beset with many challenges, not the least of them being the creation of a new state of Southern Sudan after many years of conflict.  Neighbouring Somalia suffers anarchy, piracy and extremism.  Kenya, the major regional power, ...

An event in partnership with the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Melbourne. Expert panellists will include:  Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AO QC, Professorial ...

Start time:  6.30pm for 7pm      Bookings essential by 5 May     You are urged not to miss this opportunity to hear John McCarthy, one of ...

This seminar will be primarily addressing study areas 1 & 2 of Unit 3 of VCE International Studies        Guest Speakers: Ms Anna Louise Simpson, ...

A country of 38 million people, Poland has witnessed dramatic changes since the collapse of Communism just over two decades ago.  The introduction of ‘shock therapy’ in the early 1990s resulted in the transformation of Poland from a ...

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is highly professional, well-trained and respected, both at home and abroad.  The ADF is, however, at times stretched due to its limited size and capacity, and fluctuating levels of investment in defence ...

Australia’s Migration Program offers significant opportunities and challenges in shaping the future of our nation.  It underpins much of our economic prosperity by adding to the skills base of the country.  It remains, however, a topic of ...

The popular uprising against oppressive rulers sweeping the Arab world has now reached Libya.  The 41-year rule of Colonel Qaddafi, under which Libya sponsored global acts of terrorism and the internal opposition was brutally suppressed, is under ...

Australians generally have limited understanding of Africa.  The most populous country on that continent is Nigeria whose population of 152 million, split about evenly between Moslems and Christians, makes it the seventh most populous country in ...

What were the origins of the Cold War that dominated our lives for more than a generation?  What policies fuelled it?  Why did the Cold War perpetuate the arms race?  Who “won” the Cold War, and why does it matter? The ...

A decade on, the war in Afghanistan appears to be a disaster for both Afghanistan and the US-led coalition including Australia.  What is to be done? Richard Tanter proposes a series of policy initiatives by which the Australian Government ...

Global awareness of Latin America is growing as its nations assert themselves in various ways.  The four countries to which Ms Greville is accredited represent many aspects of what is most exciting about Latin America - but also what is ...

The challenging issue of climate change continues to generate debate and controversy among many sectors of the community, including scientists in Australia and overseas.  Many support the idea that global warming is a clear threat to humanity, ...

***  EVENT FULLY SUBSCRIBED *** Since the global financial crisis, China's continued economic success has fuelled the self-confidence to push its strategic interests more forcefully.  This display ...

****  EVENT FULLY SUBSCRIBED  *** The disclosure of vast numbers of confidential diplomatic cables in recent weeks has shocked governments and placed many key politicians and officials in a ...

****  EVENT FULLY SUBSCRIBED  ***** On this day Muslims around the world will be celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.  Nothing is more important to understanding ...

President Obama's envoy to Australia will voice his views on a world where the United States faces an array of big challenges, from conflict and terrorism to financial uncertainty and the rise of new powers. H.E. Mr Jeffrey L. Bleich was ...

An event in association with ACCESS Youth Network A new year has opened amid financial distress in the US and Western Europe, with the American military struggling for success in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, and with China fast ...

In April 2008, ABC radio personality Jon Faine and his son Jack took leave of their Melbourne lives and spent six months on an adventurous, risky and sometimes funny overland journey to London in their trusty 4-wheel-drive vehicle.  Over AIIAV's ...

The Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il, son of the Great Leader, Kim Il-Sung, has begun handing control of an impoverished nation, a huge standing army and a nascent nuclear capability to his third son, Kim Jong-un.  Scholar Andrei Lankov describes the ...

 Event Cancelled   Tickets payable at the door : Members                      $20 ...

Located at a key geopolitical crossroad, Turkey is today poised to play an increasingly significant role in international affairs.  As a member of NATO, Turkey is part of the western strategic alliance forged at the time of the Cold War.  It ...

Free public event.  ACCESS, the youth network of the AIIA, invites you to a discussion of this core issue; exposed in the recent federal election, when old certainties of the two party system were challenged by third parties and ...

First in a series with Australia's former Prime Ministers, a special luncheon event.   Prime Ministers experience a unique overview of domestic and foreign affairs during their time in ...

What if terrorists exploded a nuclear device in an American (or other Western) city?  President Obama is on record as saying that such an event is at the top of his list of worries.  Despite huge and expensive efforts to upgrade ...

Preparation Makes Perfect – techniques for written applications, individual and group interviews for recent graduates. Our Professional Development Day focuses on:•    resume preparation

'The Age' recently described Kevin Rudd's statement to the Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York as "unexpectedly blunt".  He was said to have "savaged the United Nations for repeatedly failing to do what it promised or, worse, ...

An ACCESS event open to all: A panel discussion with African community leader Dr Berhan Ahmed, Assoc. Prof. Di Fleming, anti-poverty activist Mr Elliot Costello, Hon. Consul-General of Ethiopia ...

President Obama is under growing pressure politically as the mid-term Congressional elections threaten to punish the Democrats and bring into question his own prospects of re-election two years hence.  Expectations of his ability to ...

As its numerous problems worsen, nuclear-armed Pakistan is arousing fears among many observers that it is on its way to becoming a failed state.  Recent catastrophic floods are a huge blow to an already weak state suffering the effects of ...

An ACCESS event open to all: In the September issue of Quarterly Access, Jason Thomas argues that if success in Afghanistan means “leaving behind a free and open democracy, the elimination of ...

An ACCESS event open to all: Asylum seekers and immigration remain contentious topics.  A few weeks ago the controversial Curtin detention centre in remote Western Australia was ...

This year South Africa successfully hosted the soccer World Cup and in so doing proved wrong the many critics and Afro-pessimists who were convinced that an African country could not deliver a major sporting event. But in the wider context ...

The President, the Hon. Michael MacKellar, has pleasure in inviting you to attend our

Due to unforeseen circumstances, it is with much regret that the seminar will not be held.  We apologise for any inconvenience. Australian Institute of International Affairs ...

Time: 5pm for 5.30pm - 7.30pm A special event in association with the Australia China Business Council and the Melbourne Writers Festival: No nation in Asia matters more to Australia than China.  What happens there in the years to ...

EVENT CANCELLED due to unforeseen circumstances affecting Mr Polenz.  Our apologies for any inconvenience. The European Union is grappling with its most serious economic and financial ...

Australia's security and prosperity are critically dependent on the quality of its relations with other countries in an increasingly interdependent world.  Whoever forms the Australian Government later this month will need to deal with a range of ...

Access event open to all: The Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua have witnessed a struggle between Indonesian security forces and West Papuan resistance fighters since the 1960s.  ...

Dr Yeo Lay Hwee, Dr Wilhelm Hofmeister, Assoc. Prof. Philomena Murray, Prof. Pascaline Winand, Dr Bruce Wilson, and Dr Stefan Auer.  Although Australia is now a member of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), an organisation that brings ...

Dr Emanuele Ottolenghi, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defence of Democracies, Washington, DC.  Since Iran’s nuclear programme was exposed to the world in 2002, the international community has employed diplomacy and negotiation ...

The Australian Institute of International Affairs Victoria, in association with Readings Bookstores and Scribe Publishers, are pleased to introduce visiting American author Jeff Goodell.  Mr Goodell's book 'How to Cool the Planet: geo-engineering ...

Australian Institute of International Affairs Victoria Invites Students and Teachers to Attend the 2010 VCE ...

A jostling for power and position is taking place around the world as the US under President Obama seeks to rebuild its image and influence in the face of an array of problems. The wider Middle East remains a sea of trouble, China is rising to ...

Tension between North and South Korea reached a dangerous height a few weeks ago when an international scientific investigation proved that a North Korean submarine's torpedo sank a South Korean corvette, killing 46 sailors.  While the Pyongyang ...

Maj.-General (Retd) Jim Molan, AO, DSC, and Mr Paul Barratt, AO, former Secretary of the Department of Defence With falling public support, rising casualties and discussion of an increased military ...

Melbourne is well placed to start reaching its potential as an international city, with many areas of comparative advantage.  Its educational institutions attract tens of thousands of students from many countries.  State-of-the-art ...

This event will feature the rollout of the third volume of Emerging Scholars (found here: 

An ACCESS even open to all.  Reform of financial regulation tops President Obama’s agenda as the United States pursues recovery from the global financial crisis - and Wall Street is ...

Members of the East Timor Study Tour report on their recent visit.    Participants in the AIIAV study tour which recently visited Timor Leste will report to members on Wednesday 16 June, 2010 on their findings and ...

Professor Greg Barton, Monash University Wednesday 9 June, 20105.30pm – 7.00pmDyason House124 Jolimont Road, East Melbourne After a highly successful state visit to Australia by President ...

ACCESS event: EVENT FULLY SUBSCRIBED The Great Immigration Debate - asylum ...

The United Kingdom finds itself in a state of extraordinary political uncertainty surrounding the May 6 general election. At a time when the public mood had been expected to dump New Labour after a long stretch in office, the Tories seemed unable to ...

Australian Institute of International Affairs Victoria Invites Students and Teachers to Attend the 2010 VCE ...