Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered his first major foreign policy address to an ANU dinner hosted by the Crawford School of Economics and Government as part its East Asia Forum Dialogue.

The Prime Minister shared memories of his time at ANU and as a diplomat in China with the audience, which included more than 60 distinguished political and intellectual leaders from around the region as well as ANU staff and students, before outlining his vision for Australia’s role in East Asia.

The dinner was a highlight of the East Asia Forum Dialogue on the Way Forward on Economic and Political Security hosted by the Crawford School of Economics and Government.  The forum, led by ANU academics Andrew MacIntyre, Peter Drysdale, Ross Garnaut and Hugh White, considered the major issues facing the region – economic development, energy and environmental security, terrorism and security.

ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb, in welcoming guests, told the audience that ANU has a depth of expertise on Asia and the Pacific that is equaled in no other institution in the English-speaking world. “We’re immensely proud of that  but we would not be fulfilling the national mandate we have if we didn’t set the standard on regional issues and issues like climate change that impact on our region.”

The full text of the Prime Minster’s address is available at http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Speech/2008/speech_0145.cfm

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