2026 Southeast Asia Update

The Update focuses on the themes connecting Southeast Asian countries, offering in-depth learning on the region, knowledge sharing among peers, and a look at how Australia can contribute positively to Southeast Asia's future. The Update brings together next-generation and emerging leaders alongside Australian, Asian and Asian diaspora audiences from business, government, education and civil society.

Panels run concurrently, you can only attend one panel per time slot. Select your preferred panel for each session when registering.

11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Geostrategic competition is intensifying, as China grows more assertive over Taiwan and Southeast Asia while the US turns inward. Conflicts in Myanmar, southern Thailand, Papua and parts of the Philippines, compounded by climate change, are driving human rights abuses, forced migration, and poverty. This panel examines how Southeast Asian states are navigating these pressures, their capacity to avoid conflict, and the implications for Australia.

11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Recent decades have seen democratic regression across the region, corruption scandals, weakening protections for civil and political rights, and the reemergence of illiberal political economies. Much of this is attributed to anti-democratic oligarchic elites fusing political, bureaucratic and economic power, sidelining progressive forces, alongside the activities of extractive, plantation and scam industries, particularly in conflict-affected areas. This panel considers the prospects for political reform and what it means for Australia.

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Southeast Asian economies remain dominated by state-led extractive models, with well-connected conglomerates and state-owned enterprises as the leading force, alongside rising economic nationalism and concerns the region is caught in the middle-income trap. This is playing out against US-China trade tensions, shifting global supply chains, technological change and a worsening climate crisis, all forcing a rethink of existing development models. This panel examines the region's ability to move beyond extractive models and its likely trajectories of change.

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Despite rising prosperity, many Southeast Asian countries continue to face persistent poverty and widening inequality, with limited progress on social protection or managing threats to vulnerable populations such as climate change. This panel explores the causes and consequences of these challenges, options for addressing them, and the scope for Australia to contribute, particularly through its development program.

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Building on themes from the preceding panels, this roundtable brings together leaders from clean energy, the digital economy, health, and agriculture/agri-technology to discuss the practical implications for business and regional cooperation. Panellists will examine the challenges shaping their sectors and explore how Australia and Southeast Asia can deepen engagement to build more resilient, sustainable partnerships.

View the bios of the panellists taking part in this year's Southeast Asia Update.

Places are limited. Register today to secure your place at the 2026 Southeast Asia Update including your preferred panels for each session.

The 2026 Southeast Asia Update is delivered by Asialink and the Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne through the support of the ASEAN-Australia Centre.