Conferences in previous years have included prominent and distinguished policymakers, academics, diplomats and politicians including Peter Drysdale, Michael Wesley, Zhao Jianfei, Stephen Howes, The Honourable Gareth Evans AO QC, Admiral Chris Barrie AC, The Right Honourable Malcolm Fraser AC CH GCL PC and The Honourable Bob Hawke AC GCL.

Find below brief blurbs on only some of the panels, discussions and simulations that will take place at Asia Pacific Week 2015. This page will be updated as panels are finalised, with a final program to be released closer to the conference date itself. Please refer to the 'Past Conferences' links for programs of past Asia Pacific Weeks.

Language Politics

How are official languages decided upon and who makes the decisions? Does this have an impact on literacy rates, and are minority languages inevitably ostracised? Drawing from examples in Asia and the Pacific, a region which contains over half of the world's languages, this panel aims to discuss the effects of language policy and whether certain societies are better at promoting the status of minority languages over others.

Political Dynasties

While every country in the world has its prominent political families, political dynasticism is extremely evident in all sub-regions of contemporary Asia and the Pacific, and occurs within all systems of government. Indeed, no less than six current heads of government in Asia and the Pacific has a parent who once held the same role. This panel will explore the extraordinary success of political dynasties in contemporary Asia in a comparative perspective.

Political Protest and Power to the People

This year’s Asia Pacific Week wants to uncover creative protest movements across the Asia-Pacific. How did these movements come about and what impact did they have?

Localising Climate Change — Community Action in Asia and the Pacific

While climate change is a global challenge that all humanity must face, local communities are taking action right now to protect their people’s livelihoods.

Social Media

How, if at all, have Facebook and Twitter affected the outcomes of recent elections in Asia and the Pacific? To what extent has Sina Weibo facilitated discourse on social and political issues in China? This panel will examine the political, social and cultural impact of social media in contemporary Asia and the Pacific.

Marriage Migration

Often out of the spotlight, marriage migration has become an attractive option for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds in Asia and the Pacific. This panel seeks to explore the circumstances behind marriage migration and the impact it has on societies. Predominantly looking at migration from Southeast Asia to Northeast Asia, questions raised include how marriage migrants are treated in their countries of origin and in their destination countries, and whether or not the trend is likely to continue in the foreseeable future.