14 July 2010 | Vol.1, № 1.

Future Directions International – Official Launch of the Indian Ocean Dialogue

His Excellency Dr Ken Michael AC Governor of Western

Address given at Government House, 6 July 2010

Thank you for your invitation to officially launch this important initiative this morning.

I would firstly like to acknowledge the traditional Nyoongar custodians of the land where we are gathered today and to pay respects to their Elders, past and present.

Today is an important day for Perth and Western Australia.

As we all know, the Indian Ocean and its littoral states are poised to play an increasingly important role in Australia’s future.

To date, however, much of Australia’s external focus has centred on the Pacific, South-East and Eastern Asia. Increasingly, with its developing wealth and population, evolving trade and shipping capabilities, and expanding geographic and political significance, the Indian Ocean and its littoral states will play a major role in Australia’s future.

Western Australia is entering an unprecedented period of wealth and development. For this to be sustained, however, Western Australians need to understand the challenges and opportunities they face, nationally, regionally and globally.

This initiative to establish an Indian Ocean Dialogue is an important move in this direction.

Future Directions International, a Perth-based not-for-profit research institute, has taken responsibility for establishing and managing this process and dialogue.

FDI, which is in its tenth year of operation, is ideally suited to do this. Recently, as I understand, FDI has undergone a significant change in its role and the way it conducts its research.

Fundamentally, FDI has two roles: to ensure that Australians recognise they are part of a two-ocean continent and that Western Australians see themselves belonging to a dynamic, national entity in a developing region of the world.

To achieve these outcomes, leaders and their policy makers and implementers need to be aware of the geo-strategic complexities of this region.

With this in mind, FDI has established four areas of research that embrace the following:

• Developments in the Indian Ocean region;

• Australia’s energy security;

• Future directions for Northern Australia; and

• Australia’s role in solving the global food and water crises.

As a result, FDI now focuses on analytical products that attempt to understand the immediate and foreseeable future in relation to the four areas above. This is unique research in Australia and it is of considerable value to national leaders and policymakers.

FDI’s products are generally disseminated in hard copy or electronically to its Associates, who are in two categories:

• Those who head organisations and who are interested in being informed generally about the product; and

• Those who work in policy and research areas and who will closely examine the products in detail.

Associates are in government at all levels, in the private sector, in academia, and in the media. FDI, with currently more than one thousand Associates, anticipates having two thousand in number by the end of the year.

FDI is also undertaking a new set of tasks. These include seminars and forums which involve the public. The results of these activities will be disseminated to Associates.

The first of these forums is, of course, the Indian Ocean Dialogue that I am very pleased to launch shortly.

The Dialogue will take the form of a series of monthly presentations that will be open to the public on a topical issue relating to the Indian Ocean and its littoral states. Membership will be open to two groups of people: those who wish to join for the small annual fee and who may attend all activities, and those who will receive invitations because the topic being presented may be of particular interest to them.

For instance, a presentation on international fishing developments may result in invitations being sent to government offices, private enterprise organisations and academia. Speakers, of course, will be subject matter experts or visiting representatives from the littoral states.

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There also will be an annual day-long seminar on a particular theme. For instance, FDI intends to host next year’s seminar during the time of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and will invite a number of the littoral heads of state to speak.

The inaugural address in this Dialogue will be made by the Indian High Commissioner from Canberra. We are very much looking forward to hearing from Her Excellency Sujatha Singh, who will address us shortly, and most appropriately, on India’s perceived role in the region.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am now very pleased to officially launch the Indian Ocean Dialogue and support its important intent of broadening discussion about the challenges and opportunities that inevitably exist for the region in the future. I wish it every success.

Thank you.

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Any opinions or views expressed in this paper are those of the individual speaker, unless stated to be those of Future Directions International.

Published by Future Directions International Pty Ltd. Desborough House, Suite 2, 1161 Hay Street, West Perth WA 6005 Australia. Tel: +61 8 9486 1046 Fax: +61 8 9486 4000 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.futuredirections.org.au

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