Asialink
Encyclopedia
Asialink works together with business, government, philanthropic and cultural partners to encourage relationships between Asia
and Australia
. Founded in 1990 in a joint collaboration with the Australian Government's Commission for the Future and the Myer Foundation
, Asialink continues in its mission to educate Australian's about their neighbouring countries and the importance of the Australia within this region.
In 1998, Asialink became a non-academic department of the University of Melbourne
. And in 2001, a grant from the Sidney Myer Centenary Celebration allowed Asialink to build the Sidney Myer Asia Centre, Asialink's current headquarters.
In 2009, Asialink formed a partnership with Asia Society - AustralAsia Centre
, a international network headquartered in New York. The two organisations now share offices in the Sidney Myer Asia Centre along with the University of Melbourne's Asia institute.
as well as 21 countries in the Asian region: Bangladesh
, Bhutan
, Brunei
, Burma, Cambodia
, China
, East Timor
, India
, Indonesia
, Japan
, Korea
, Laos
, Malaysia, Nepal
, Pakistan
, Philippines
, Singapore
, Sri Lanka
, Taiwan
, Thailand
and Vietnam
.
The organisation currently includes residency programs in arts management, literature, performing arts and visual arts.
Each year over 40 leaders attend the program running both in Sydney and Melbourne.
In 2009 speakers included:
• The Hon. Stephen Smith, Minister for Foreign Affairs
• Professor Cheng Li, Brookings Institute, Washington DC
• Dr. Jim Masselos, Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities
• H.E. Mr Taka-aki Kojima, Japan's Ambassador to Australia
• Professor Marika Vicziany, Director, Monash Asia Institute, Monash University
• Dr Pradeep Taneja, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
(AEF), seeks to promote Asian literacy in Australian schools. Established in 1992, the Foundation has developed to encourage not only knowledge in the Asian language, but also the geography, culture and literature that is tied to the diverse Asian region.
The AEF offers further education in the Asian region for teachers and principals under its Linking Latitudes program. Hundreds of Primary and Secondary educations have been invited to previous conferences in China
(2001), Vietnam (2004) and India
(2007).
Asialink has also engaged with AusCSCAP. The first AusCSCAP dinner was held in Melbourne in 2008 with a focus on regional security issues.
Asialink Conversations
This invitation-only dialogue unites Australia
and ASEAN leaders from government, business, academic, the media and community for a three day gathering to discuss shared issues facing Australia and the Asia region. Asialink conversations is designed to incite a sharing of ideas, development of new friendships and an opportunity to increase international relationships.
The dialogue has previously been hosted by Australia
, India, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia
.
ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Dialogue
Asialink continues to substantially assist in this annual informal dialogue held in Malaysia. This forum offers a space for discussion on the premise of Asia related issues and the roles of ASEAN, Australia
and New Zealand
in the resolution of these issues.
Generation 21: Asia Pacific New Leaders' Dialogue
In November 2009, this dual initiative with Jakarta-based organisation, Modernisator, brought together 56 business, political and academic leaders from the AustralAsian region. Discussions focussed on the challenges and opportunities facing Asia in the context of the 21st Century.
This dialogue was the first in what is to be an annual event.
Melbourne Institute Asialink Index
This publication is the first multi-indicator measure of engagement between Asia
and Australia
. By measuring seven categories of engagement, the index also compares Australia's relative commitment with the Asia region against that of the rest of the world.
The Asialink Essays series
Initiated in 2009, this collection of essays by expert commentators engage with vital issues facing Australia's relationship with Asia
Every 23 Days: 20 Years Touring Asia
With support of the Asialink's Visual Arts Touring Exhibition program, this publication celebrates 20 years of Australian based exhibitions within Asia.
Each year a selected individual is awarded this medal as a measure of outstanding involvement in the promotion of Australia-Asia relations.
Dunlop Asia Fellowships
This fellowship offers a grant towards young Australian's programs that show lasting promise in the contribution to Australia-Asian relations.
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Founded in 1990 in a joint collaboration with the Australian Government's Commission for the Future and the Myer Foundation
Myer Foundation
The Myer Foundation is a major Australian philanthropic organisation.The Sidney Myer Charitable Trust was established by the will of Sidney Myer who died in 1934 leaving one tenth of his estate for the benefit of the community. Myer's will was proved at £922,000...
, Asialink continues in its mission to educate Australian's about their neighbouring countries and the importance of the Australia within this region.
History
After partnering with the University of Melbourne in 1991, Asialink began to develop programs in education, the arts, businesses and community awareness with the guidance of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, and the Advisory Board under Chairman Kenneith Myer AC and Executive chairman Professor Kwong Lee Dow.In 1998, Asialink became a non-academic department of the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. And in 2001, a grant from the Sidney Myer Centenary Celebration allowed Asialink to build the Sidney Myer Asia Centre, Asialink's current headquarters.
In 2009, Asialink formed a partnership with Asia Society - AustralAsia Centre
Asia Society (AustralAsia)
"Asia Society " is part of the global not-for profit education organisation Asia Society, headquartered in New York. Launched in 1997, the AustralAsia office of Asia Society carried on the objectives of Asia Society's founder John D Rockefeller III to promoting a stronger Asia literate world...
, a international network headquartered in New York. The two organisations now share offices in the Sidney Myer Asia Centre along with the University of Melbourne's Asia institute.
Programs
Asialink's mission of an Asia-engaged Australia is facilitated in its five major programs:Arts
This program encourages a cross cultural experience for Australian artists. Exchanges, touring exhibitions, residencies, and an array of international and local events are offered within AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as well as 21 countries in the Asian region: Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, Burma, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Malaysia, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
The organisation currently includes residency programs in arts management, literature, performing arts and visual arts.
Leaders Program
The Asialink Leaders program brings together emerging corporate, government and not-for-profit leaders to develop a network of Asian understanding for engaging in an Asian focused future.Each year over 40 leaders attend the program running both in Sydney and Melbourne.
In 2009 speakers included:
• The Hon. Stephen Smith, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In common with international practice, the office is often informally referred to as Foreign Minister...
• Professor Cheng Li, Brookings Institute, Washington DC
• Dr. Jim Masselos, Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities
Australian Academy of the Humanities
The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia...
• H.E. Mr Taka-aki Kojima, Japan's Ambassador to Australia
• Professor Marika Vicziany, Director, Monash Asia Institute, Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
• Dr Pradeep Taneja, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
School Education
Asialink joint collaborator, the Asia Education FoundationAsia Education Foundation
Asia Education Foundation is a joint activity of Asialink to promote Asian literacy within Australian schools. AEF strives for Asian literacy not only in language, but knowledge in geography, history, literature, mathematics, science and culture...
(AEF), seeks to promote Asian literacy in Australian schools. Established in 1992, the Foundation has developed to encourage not only knowledge in the Asian language, but also the geography, culture and literature that is tied to the diverse Asian region.
The AEF offers further education in the Asian region for teachers and principals under its Linking Latitudes program. Hundreds of Primary and Secondary educations have been invited to previous conferences in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(2001), Vietnam (2004) and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(2007).
Health and Community
In a joint partnership with Asia-Australia Mental Health (AAMH), a subsidiary of St Vincent's Health and The University of Melbourne, Asialink has advocated for improvements to mental health services within the Asia Pacific region.Corporate and Public Programs
These programs seek to provide understanding and ignite discussions in relation to Asian politics, economics and social issues. Business, government, academic and broader communities, through these private and public forums, can ease into an increasingly Asian focused world.Track two diplomacy
The [Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific] (AusCSCAP)Asialink has also engaged with AusCSCAP. The first AusCSCAP dinner was held in Melbourne in 2008 with a focus on regional security issues.
Asialink Conversations
This invitation-only dialogue unites Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and ASEAN leaders from government, business, academic, the media and community for a three day gathering to discuss shared issues facing Australia and the Asia region. Asialink conversations is designed to incite a sharing of ideas, development of new friendships and an opportunity to increase international relationships.
The dialogue has previously been hosted by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, India, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Dialogue
Asialink continues to substantially assist in this annual informal dialogue held in Malaysia. This forum offers a space for discussion on the premise of Asia related issues and the roles of ASEAN, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in the resolution of these issues.
Generation 21: Asia Pacific New Leaders' Dialogue
In November 2009, this dual initiative with Jakarta-based organisation, Modernisator, brought together 56 business, political and academic leaders from the AustralAsian region. Discussions focussed on the challenges and opportunities facing Asia in the context of the 21st Century.
This dialogue was the first in what is to be an annual event.
Publications
The PricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
Melbourne Institute Asialink Index
This publication is the first multi-indicator measure of engagement between Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. By measuring seven categories of engagement, the index also compares Australia's relative commitment with the Asia region against that of the rest of the world.
The Asialink Essays series
Initiated in 2009, this collection of essays by expert commentators engage with vital issues facing Australia's relationship with Asia
Every 23 Days: 20 Years Touring Asia
With support of the Asialink's Visual Arts Touring Exhibition program, this publication celebrates 20 years of Australian based exhibitions within Asia.
Awards
The Dunlop Asialink MedalEach year a selected individual is awarded this medal as a measure of outstanding involvement in the promotion of Australia-Asia relations.
Dunlop Asia Fellowships
This fellowship offers a grant towards young Australian's programs that show lasting promise in the contribution to Australia-Asian relations.