News

The “DarkSide” cyber-attack on the US-based gasoline facility Colonial Pipeline has once again highlighted the vulnerability of a nation’s critical infrastructure to malicious cyber activity. Closer to home, recent policy developments in Indonesia and Australia highlight the growing awareness about these vulnerabilities in the Indo Pacific region.

Indonesia’s efforts to make the peace in post-coup Myanmar aren’t just about showing Southeast Asian solidarity, they are a way of showcasing Jakarta’s democratic credentials to the new administration in the United States.

The launch of the inaugural Churchill Policy Room at Parliament House, Canberra, saw Churchill Fellows, Ministers, and UQ HASS researchers come together to discuss some of the most complex policy issues facing Australia.

A new pilot study is helping Queensland’s small to medium enterprises (SMEs) become more sustainable by designing out waste and using resources more efficiently.

The contrast between the repressive and authoritarian nature of Suharto’s military-backed regime and Australia’s Western liberal democracy seemed at the heart of a turbulent and highly sensitive bilateral relationship. It was assumed, therefore, that democratisation in Indonesia (reformasi) would significantly improve Australia-Indonesia relations through the convergence of the two countries’ shared democratic values. But the empirical evidence suggests otherwise.

A new report authored by UQ colleagues including Caitlin Curtis and produced with KPMG reveals how much trust Australians have in AI systems and how we think AI should be deployed and managed. Read the accompanying piece in The Conversation.

To find out, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 2,500 Australians in June and July 2020. Our report, produced with KPMG and led by Nicole Gillespie, shows Australians on the whole don’t know a lot about how AI is used, have little trust in AI systems, and believe it should be carefully regulated.

The Centre's Dr Greta Nabbs-Keller formed part of a panel discussion on dispute management in the South China Sea, including coordination mechanisms for law enforcement, fisheries, and other natural resources. Hosted by the Washington DC based think tank, Center for Strategic & International Studies.

Ian Errington and the UQ Centre for Policy Futures' Dr Greta Nabbs-Keller discuss how Australia can strengthen our role in the Indo-pacific in the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 'The Strategist'.

Centre Director Brian Head shares his thoughts in this Apolitical piece on how to foster conditions that build and protect evidence-informed policy-making in contemporary democratic systems of governance.

The Centre's Greta Nabbs-Kellar discusses the likely response from Jakarta to Australia's 2020 Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan and implications for policymakers in The Intepreter.

The first edition of the UQ Southeast Asia Forum series provides an insight into the Southeast Asian governments’ handling of the pandemic. Our panel of discussants from Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the University of Sydney, and the UQ Centre for Policy Futures, discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Southeast Asia and consider what changes the pandemic may bring to the politics, economics, and foreign relations of the region.

The Sustainable Development Goals are not only for poor nations – they offer a policy roadmap for Australia, too. Leanne Smith and the Centre's Claire Brolan share insights into the SDGs for Australia in the Lowy Institute's The Interpreter.

Renowned journalist and author, Marian Wilkinson, hosts a conversation with UQ experts Dr Selina Ward and the Centre's Dr Pedro Fidelman to discuss the economic, political and scientific questions that will determine the future of the Reef and those on land who depend on it.

As this years’ National Reconciliation Week draws to a close, the Centre's Marnee Shay and colleagues use this pertinent time to reflect and re-imagine how reconciliation and a ‘reconciled Australia’ should look, and what needs to happen in order to arrive at such a vision. (Article in Croakey, 5 June 2020).

With a flattened student-teacher hierarchy and a focus on community relationships, the Centre's Senior Researcher Dr Marnee Shay shows why flexi schools are a growing phenomenon catching more and more Indigenous students who have fallen out of mainstream schooling.

The Centre for Policy Futures and the Winston Churchill Trust are very pleased to announce the 11 inaugural Policy Impact Program Fellows for 2020.

Dr Greta Nabbs-Keller comments in a recent ChinaFile Conversation piece

As the world contends with Covid-19, Indonesia and Australia have an opportunity to establish deeper ties and cooperation on matters of mutual concern.

In the last week the number of cases concentrated around the capital Jakarta has almost tripled to around 900. Dr Greta Nabbs Keller, Research Fellow from the UQ Centre for Policy Futures, discusses with ABC.

Weakness in government coordination and communication will constrain flexibility to deal with this complex challenge.