2019 ANNUAL REPORT 1 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER Australia’s leading centre for creative engagement with Asia Contents 02 Driving creative engagement 18 Asialink Arts 05 Highlights 22 Asialink Business 07 The ‘Weary’ Edward Dunlop Asia Medal 28 Asialink Diplomacy and Lecture 32 Asia Education Foundation 11 40 Under 40 Most Influential 39 Confucius Institute Asian-Australians Awards 40 Board and patrons 12 The Asian-Australian Leadership Summit 41 Leadership team 42 Supporters Cover image: Echo Morgan, (Xie Rong), 海.Sea, 2019, 53rd Action performance for the 52 ARTISTS 52 ACTIONS Symposium, 21 July, 2019, Artspace, Sydney. Supported by Asialink Arts DRIVING CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT We thank you for your support as we We hosted a range of distinguished guests as part of our It underlined the systematic under-representation of Asialink Business also delivered capability development continue to drive creative engagement events and insights program. Together with Bloomberg, Asian-Australians at the most senior levels of leadership programs and events to 14,000 executives in the in June 2019 we hosted the Prime Minister’s first major in our government, companies and universities and the workforce across 24 locations in Australia and Asia. A between Australia and Asia. foreign policy address of his new term of government. need for a greater focus on cultural diversity in Australia. focus on Asia-capable leadership also saw tremendous 2019 was a special year for Asialink at growth in both our flagship Asialink Leaders Program At our annual Asialink Chairman’s dinner, it was an Our Arts program launched a new strategy and and support of the New Colombo Plan, through both the University of Melbourne. enormous pleasure to award diplomat, public servant introduced innovative creative connections across the pre-departure training and professional development and educator Peter Varghese AO the Sir Edward ‘Weary’ region, providing global creative exchange opportunities for alumni. We expanded our team in each of our Dunlop Asia Medal, recognising his tremendous, life- to 23 individual artists and arts professionals, delivering program areas, including welcoming long contribution to Australian foreign policy and the first Victoria-Jiangsu sister-state arts exchange, and The Asialink Diplomacy team offered a breadth of new directors for Asialink Arts and engagement with Asia. a new India Australia dance exchange. insights in a busy year for elections across the region. Diplomacy. The team criss-crossed Southeast Asia developing social In his Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Asia Lecture, ‘Asian Dr Pippa Dickson delivered keynote addresses at Beijing entrepreneurs as part of the Australia-ASEAN Emerging Australians: Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling’, former Design Week and the Setouchi Asia Forum in Japan and We helped develop Australians’ regional insights, Leaders Program, delivered briefings ahead of the Foreign Minister and then Chancellor of the Australian led delegations of Australian creative workers and artists capabilities and connections, and set out to reach seventh Asian Youth Forum, supported several Australia- National University (ANU), The Hon Gareth Evans AC QC, to Korea and India. wider audiences in fresh ways, including through a Asia youth dialogues, held Track 2 Dialogues with China, highlighted the need for greater cultural diversity in new focus on rural and regional Australia and engaging India and ASEAN, and participated in key regional forums. Australia’s leadership and the important role our Through the Asia Education Foundation (AEF), our our Asian-Australian and Indigenous communities. Asian-Australian community can play in navigating education program held the first ever National Australia- Successful engagement only works when there is ASEAN Youth Forum, connecting students from across Across Asialink, we convened over 200 events, working engagement with the region. mutual respect and the recognition that diversity Australia with their Southeast Asian counterparts in real with a wide array of partners both in Australia and the and partnerships at home and throughout the region Other prominent speakers at our events included time at the Sydney Opera House. region; delivered our education programs in over 20 makes us stronger. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, The countries in the Asia Pacific; engaged with thousands The AEF delivered programs including the inaugural Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Trade, Tourism As we set out on a new strategic direction that prioritises of Australian executives through Asialink Business; PNG-Australia Partnership Secondary Schools initiative and Investment, Senator The Hon Simon Birmingham, the voice and mobility of rural, regional and indigenous co-hosted strategic Track 2 dialogues with China, India – a first of its kind – and the celebrated BRIDGE program, Victorian Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, communities, along with the large and growing Asian- and ASEAN; and focused on the depth of Asian- connecting schools in Australia with partners in over The Hon Martin Pakula and many more. Australian community, we invite you to think about how Australian engagement through our creative Alumni. 20 countries in the Indo-Pacific to reach thousands you or your organisation can contribute to a new creative The inaugural Asian-Australian Leadership Summit of students and educators. Deepening knowledge and understanding of the engagement with Asia. and 40 under 40 Influential Asian-Australian Awards, Asia Pacific is a central pillar of what we do as an presented with PwC and the ANU in September, Asialink Business continued to deliver real impact as organisation - and in 2019 there were some real celebrated the exceptional ongoing contributions of Australia’s National Centre for Asia Capability. The highlights. Insightful and inspiring speeches on young Asian-Australians, and aimed to tackle head- groundbreaking Women in Innovation Leadership Australia’s engagement with Asia hosted by Asialink on the discrimination that continues to impede this Dialogue and the Activating Asia and Growing with Penny Burtt Andrew Robb Michael Wesley this year included the Prime Minister’s Address, the community across sectors. Asia reports shed further light on the opportunities Group CEO Chairman Deputy Weary Dunlop Asia Lecture and a speech by the Winner for Australian business right on our doorstep. Asialink Asialink Vice-Chancellor of the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian International The University of Awards, STEM champion Dr Muneera Bano. Melbourne Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Marise Payne with students from Marrickville Public School for the launch of Australia Now ASEAN Participants at the two day national Asian-Australian Leadership Summit Andrew Robb AO speaking at the Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Asia Lecture Penny Burtt hosts the Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Asia Lecture 02 ASIALINK ANNUAL REPORT 2019 03 ASIALINK 2019 HIGHLIGHTS We drive creative engagement between Australia and Asia to build a strong shared future. Uniquely Australian. Thirty years of insights, capabilities and connections. 24 Number of countries where programs have been delivered in the Asia Pacific 215,000 Number of users of Asialink Business market resources online Insights: Capabilities: Connections: Asialink provides a unique Asialink supports people Asialink communities 15,000 100,000 platform to create, curate and organisations with are continuously Number of participants People engaged in our and share thought immersive learning building relationships at our events, exchanges Asia Education Foundation leadership, research and experiences to grow as we activate networks and capability programs networks knowledge through diverse and scale their interest between sectors, people voices in our region. and skills to navigate and places. successfully in Asia. 300 24 Number of new pieces of Number of Australian creative International school partnerships research and insights exchanges to Asia across Creative exchanges published Events and training programs in 10 Australia, Asia and online countries 17 million Number of media impressions 04 ASIALINK ANNUAL REPORT 2019 05 Honouring a special contribution to Asia-Australia relations Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Asia Medal THIRTY YEARS OF INSIGHTS, CAPABILITIES AND Former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Chancellor of the University of Queensland, Peter Varghese AO was awarded the Sir Edward CONNECTIONS ‘Weary’ Dunlop Asia Medal. Asialink was established in 1989 Now, more than ever, Australia’s security and prosperity Each year Asialink awards the Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop It marks his career-long commitment to improving as a joint initiative of the Australian depends on a population comfortable with its geography Asia Medal to an Australian who has shown long-term Australia’s understanding of, and engagement with Asia and sufficiently knowledgeable and skilled to engage commitment to enhancing the quality of life in the region – through vigorously advocating for deepening Australia’s Government’s Commission for the effectively with the countries and cultures of the Indo- and improving Australia-Asia relations. economic, security and cultural ties with Asia. Future and the Myer Foundation, Pacific. Asialink’s mission and point of difference has one of Australia’s oldest always been to create an Asia-literate Australian The 2018 Medal was awarded (March 2019) to an He has been an architect of policy – for example,