Australia urgently needs to elevate its discussion of artificial intelligence from the technical to the strategic. The routine calls for more money to be invested in AI in Australia have lacked bite despite the obvious …
In my previous article, I noted that because of the disruptive innovation occurring in Australia’s electricity sector, traditional generators are realising that their core assets have become stranded—they’re losing money and can’t be sold. I …
The 2021–22 budget was a ‘no surprises’ one for Defence. The government set out its plan in the 2016 white paper, reaffirmed it in last year’s defence strategic update and is now providing Defence with …
Sea state Australian Anzac-class frigates Anzac, Ballarat and Parramatta transited through the South China Sea with replenishment vessel HMAS Sirius. It was the navy’s fourth transit of the area this year, after six trips in …
In late 2019 I wrote an article about the growing problem of overdose deaths in Australia that has, sadly, continued to plague the country. In the most recent Penington Institute ‘overdose report’, we see that …
For even the most casual of observers, it’s clear that over the past decade the global strategic security environment has become increasingly complex. With a rising and increasingly assertive China, a resurgent Russia and a …
As this year’s ASEAN chair, Brunei Darussalam finds itself operating in an increasingly precarious and unpredictable region. While Southeast Asia begins to heal from the Covid-19 pandemic that brought the region to a standstill for …
You might not consider disease to be a national security issue, but that depends on how you define national security. A ‘disease’, by the way, is a disorder of structure or function in a human, …
A federal parliamentary joint committee inquiry is examining the potential for new members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, and is assessing each individual case for accession against Australia’s national interests. The …
Kath Stewart has served as Australian Army officer on peacekeeping missions, with the strength of a military force behind her, and as an unarmed official from the International Committee of the Red Cross with just …
The concept of ‘sovereignty’ has recently gained new life in Australia and around the world. Increased tensions with China, a constant flow of fake news, frequent references to cyberattacks conducted by sophisticated state actors, and …
Despite their increasingly bitter rivalry, the United States and China have recently been sending the right signals regarding potential cooperation on combatting climate change. The joint statement issued after the mid-April meeting between John Kerry, …
ASPI will celebrate its 20th anniversary later this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. ‘A US decision to invade Iraq would be a clear demonstration that September 11 …
Australia has a highly capable, professional military equipped with small numbers of very complex, extremely expensive aircraft, ships, submarines and land vehicles. Australia could fight other middle powers and win, but Australia should only ever …
There’s rising concern about the prospect of a major military crisis erupting across the Taiwan Strait as a result of China’s intention to force Taiwan to unify with the mainland. President Xi Jinping suggested in …
In his recent address to the US Congress, President Joe Biden warned that China is deadly serious about trying to become the world’s most significant power. But Biden also declared that autocrats will not win …
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner recently highlighted an overarching challenge for the territory, and arguably for all of northern Australia—to break the social and economic cycles of severe disadvantage that perpetuate problems for generations. …
Over the past decade, China has made noteworthy strides towards drawing Eastern Europe into a web of cooperative relations. Through a cheque-book diplomacy approach, Beijing promised lucrative financial investments in the region. After the implementation …
In my previous article, I looked at the transition that’s underway in Australia’s electricity sector, driven by technological innovation. The electrical grid is moving from one based on a small number of large, inflexible generators …
In November 2018, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his version of Australia’s ‘Pacific step-up’, which was about taking ‘our engagement to a new level, launching a “new chapter in relations with our Pacific family”’. Under …