Asialink National Forum 2004: Australia's Engagement with Asia – A New Paradigm?
This is a summary of the 2004 National Forum ‘Australia's Engagement with Asia: A New Paradigm?’. The forum involved 90 leaders from around Australia and keynote speeches by Prime Minister John Howard and Shadow Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd.
13 August 2004
About the forum
This report is a summary of the 2004 National Forum ‘Australia's Engagement with Asia: A New Paradigm?’ Co-convened by Asialink at The University of Melbourne and the Faculty of Asian Studies at The Australian National University.
The forum involved 90 participants from government, business, trade unions, non-government organisations, research institutes and universities. There were religious and community leaders, defence and security analysts, and senior media commentators.
The forum, with generous support from the Myer Foundation, aimed to examine current issues and suggest additional strategies for advancing Australia's national interest in the dynamic Asian region. The emphasis was on planning for the future.
The Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard MP, and the Shadow Foreign Minister, the Hon Kevin Rudd MP, contributed major addresses. The transcripts of their speeches are included at the end of the report.