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Australia isn't an Asian nation, it is an Indo-Pacific oneDear , In just one week we will have the honour of hosting a talk by Peter O’Neill CMG, former Prime Minister of New Guinea (and in many ways the de facto opposition leader) entitled “Papua New Guinea and its key role in regional security”. This is a real coup for us and an event not to be missed. It will be in the Brisbane Club, starting at 12:00 for 12:30 pm. To book click here. Mr O’Neill is a political powerhouse in Papua New Guinea and his views will be an important window into what our nearest neighbour is thinking, and what its policies might be. Regional security is an issue that has been neglected by previous Australian governments. And Australia has failed to live-up to its responsibilities as the largest and richest country in the South Pacific. (As an aside, I see Pope Francis recently referred to PNG as the “edge of the world” when he celebrated Mass there yesterday, so it seems perhaps we are still Terra Australia Incognito despite our best diplomatic efforts). After Mr O’Neill speaks there will be a chance for questions. What they might be will of course depend to some extent on what he says, but I’m particularly interested in knowing why climate change seems to be an issue for our relations with Pacific Island countries, when many of them are cosying-up to China, the world’s largest emitter of CO2! Details of the function are: Date: Monday September 16 at 12:00 for 12:30 pm. Kind regards, GRAHAM YOUNG 
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