The Griffith Asia Institute was delighted to host a visit by Marty Natalegawa, former foreign minister to Indonesia, to Australia to deliver the 2018 Griffith Asia Lecture.

While the Griffith Asia Lecture was the centrepiece of Dr Natalegawa’s visit, it was complemented by a wider program of roundtables and discussions with parliamentarians, foreign policy-makers, industry leaders and academics in Canberra and Brisbane.

Key events in this wider program included Dr Natalegawa’s delivery of the inaugural international lecture at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Diplomatic Academy on the topic of ‘Does ASEAN matter?’ followed by an closed roundtable lunch with DFAT executives hosted by Mr Richard Maude, Deputy Secretary, and an afternoon discussion with members of the Australia-Indonesia Parliamentary Friendship Group, co hosted by Senator Linda Reynolds and Warren Snowden MP. The final Canberra event hosted by the Office of National Assessments allowed for a timely discussion on ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific.

In Brisbane we were delighted to host Dr Natalegawa as our special guest at the GAI Business Briefing at DFAT’s Queensland Office. The lunch provided the opportunity for state and city government, Queensland industry leaders, and key academics to engage in an indepth discussion on the diverse issues and interests underpinning the rich connections between Queensland and Indonesia.