Asia Rising

Australia's Election and the International Agenda

Asia Rising

Show Notes

Australia's federal election has produced a significant majority for PM Anthony Albanese. While most of the campaign was dominated by domestic issues, the shadow cast by the Trump administration's highly destabilising policies was long.

The re-elected government faces the most complex international environment in decades with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, an America led by a mercurial President who appears intent on wrecking the liberal international order and an ambitious and confident China.

This panel will discuss the most immediate international challenges facing the newly elected government, how it is likely to approach these issues and what new direction a more confident and emboldened Labor government may take.

Panel:

The Hon Bill Shorten (Leader of the Australian Labor Party (2013 - 2019), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra)

Professor Andrea Carson (Political Communication, La Trobe University)

Professor Nick Bisley (Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University)

Professor Bec Strating (Director, La Trobe Asia)

Recorded 13th May, 2025

More from Asia Rising

Oct 13, 2026

China’s new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress is presented by Beijing as a policy of development and equality. For Tibetans, it represents something very different.

Oct 6, 2026

The waters of the South China Sea - including areas the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea - are at the centre of some of the Indo-Pacific’s most important maritime disputes. These waters bring together competing territorial and maritime claims, strategic interests, and the rights and interests of coastal states. They are also vital to fishing communities and populations whose livelihoods and security depend on access to the sea.

Sep 24, 2026

Few diplomatic careers span Moscow during the invasion of Ukraine, the remote islands of the Pacific, and Canberra. Germany's Ambassador to Australia, Beate Grzeski, has lived all three - and the thread connecting them says something about how the world is changing.

Sep 17, 2026

Few events in recent history have generated as much confusion, controversy, and misinformation as the COVID-19 pandemic. Five years on, the origins of COVID remain contested, and the lessons of how that debate played out carry hard implications for global health security for years to come.

Sep 11, 2026

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is fast becoming one of the world's most contested global commons. Home to critical sea lanes, energy and trade corridors, and a growing contest for influence among major and middle powers, traditional security challenges are growing and competing.

See all episodes →