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Australia’s Ambivalent Engagement with Asia

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Abstract

This chapter explores the challenges that Australia’s PD faces in shaping positive perceptions among Asian foreign publics. An examination of data from over 40 recorded interviews allows identifying two weaknesses of Australian PD efforts: a lack of clarity about the message and the inability to mobilize domestic civil society for the good of Australia’s reputation. The chapter explores links between the inconsistent PD messaging and the challenges of defining Australia’s identity as a nation. It also looks at the dynamics of Australian Government’s relations with domestic non-governmental actors in assuring successful PD performance. Pisarska argues that in the past, Australia’s PD effort has been severely hampered first and foremost by a fickle and fluctuating engagement with Australia’s domestic society—on both the conceptual and implementation levels.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In this chapter, the concept “Asia” will refer to the broader Indo-Pacific space, stretching from Central Asia, through India, China, Southeast Asia to the Pacific Islands.

  2. 2.

    In 2009, an isolated case of violence against Indian students in Melbourne in 2011 quickly snowballed into one of the largest public diplomacy crisis Australia had to face. Not only had it resulted in a tarnished reputation of Australia as an education destination, but it also generated a loss of $2 billion in education exports because of the drop in Indian students. To counter the negative message transferred back to India, DFAT began cooperating closely with the Indian diaspora in Australia. This was because most Indian people considering sending their children to study abroad did get their information about the country not from official sources but from their relatives in Australia and local diasporas. Cooperating with these groups to convey the full, true picture of the situation in Australia was critical and contributed in the next years to come in a 20 percent growth in Indian students at Australian universities (Interview, 31 March 2015a).

  3. 3.

    By 2014, the main sources of Australia’s imports were China (29 percent), Japan (20 percent), South Korea (8.4 percent), India (5.3 percent) and outside of the region—the USA with a mere 3.6 percent.

  4. 4.

    The three departments administrating the Australia Awards areDFAT, Department of Education and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

  5. 5.

    Australian Government (2012b) New Colombo Plan, A report of the Steering Group, August 2013, delivered to the author by DFAT, 28 April 2015.

  6. 6.

    Australia Unlimited was developed to provide an overarching theme for the Building Brand Australia Program sponsored by the Australian Trade Commission. At the heart of the Australia Unlimited concept is the idea that Australia’s development has been forged through its enterprising spirit—the resilience, creativity and unquenchable desire of Australians to succeed, no matter what the challenge may be. To learn more, see http://www.australiaunlimited.com/brand-australia/about-brand

  7. 7.

    The “Stolen Generation” refers to the Aboriginal people forcibly removed from their families as children between the 1900s and the 1960s to be brought up by white foster families or in institutions.

  8. 8.

    The policy was developed by the Howard government in response to the Tampa affair in August 2001, and was pursued until 2008 when the new Rudd government largely dismantled it. In August 2012, the succeeding Gillard Labor government introduced a similar policy, reopening Nauru detention center and Manus Island detention center for offshore processing.

  9. 9.

    Track II diplomacy refers to dialogues that promote a cooperative and regional approach to security. Track II diplomacy engages leaders from universities, business, civil society and governments in order to identify new perspectives, develop innovative solutions and achieve mutual understanding. For more, see Asia-Link website http://asialink.unimelb.edu.au/asialink_diplomacy/track_ii_diplomacy

  10. 10.

    To learn more, see the website of the AIIA http://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/

  11. 11.

    Through the Australian Volunteers for International Development 2000, dedicated and skilled Australians work as volunteers in more than 1300 host organizations across 43 countries, promoting a positive perception of Australia in the region and of the aid program domestically. To learn more about the Australian Volunteers for International Development, see http://www.australianvolunteers.com/programs/volunteer-programs/australian-volunteers-for-international-development-avid/about-avid/

  12. 12.

    The Australian Civilian (ACC) Corps register is comprised of over 500 experienced civilian specialists with expertise in fields including aid coordination, disaster risk reduction, electoral assistance, health administration, engineering, and law and justice. Since its establishment in 2011, the ACC has undertaken over 100 deployments in over 15 countries, the majority in Asia and the Pacific.

  13. 13.

    Save the Children Australia is one of the largest Australian foreign aid recipients, which in the years 2002–2013 has received 13.4 percent of the total budget appropriated to NGOs by the Australian government (ACFID 2014, 27).

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Pisarska, K. (2016). Australia’s Ambivalent Engagement with Asia. In: The Domestic Dimension of Public Diplomacy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54679-1_4

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