It was a full house on Wednesday at the annual Rotary Melbourne Angus Mitchell Oration, held at Sofitel, for a special conversation with Arthur Sinodinos AO, former Ambassador to the US, who delved into pressing global issues affecting Australia, and significant events and policy shifts during his tenure in Washington.
Among the audience were notable figures such as US consul general Kathleen Lively, Dr. Sushil Kumar, Consul General of India, and Natsuko Miguchi, Deputy Consul General of Japan.
Also in attendance for the speech of the Greek Australian Partner and Chair of The Asia Group, were key members of the Greek diaspora, such as Fotini Kypraios, Chair of the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce, Elpis Korosidis, President of PRONIA, Intralot CEO, Marios Mitromara, Monash University Dean of Engineering, Professor Yiannis Ventikos, artist George Petrou OAM, director of The Hellenic Initiative Australia, Chris Dolkas, and Australian Medical Association Federal Council Representative for General Practice Magdalena Simonis OA.
Dr. Chris Sotiropoulos, the Greek Australian president of the Melbourne Rotary Club, extended a warm welcome to the guests, paying homage to Angus Mitchell, the first Australian to be elected President of Rotary International in 1948, whose legacy is commemorated through the Angus Mitchell Oration that was established in 1971.
Arthur Sinodinos, a leading expert on Australian policy delivered an insightful speech drawing from his time as Australian Ambassador to the United States. Witnessing first hand a period of intense polarisation in the United States amidst the pandemic, the Black Lives Matters protests, and a tumultuous election, Sinodinos stressed that the one lesson he gained out of this challenging time, was that change is constant and the future is not preordained.
In his speech he focused on AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States which was announced during his ambassadorship in the US in September 2021, stressing its significance in the Indo-Pacific region and Australia’s strategic circumstances. He likened AUKUS to the ‘Trojan horse’, highlighting its potential to enhance Australia’s technological capabilities through collaboration with these allied nations.
Addressing regional dynamics, and the growing power of China, Sinodinos discussed the benefits of the Quad, the diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the United States -which he has been involved in as a member of the Advisory Council of the Quad Investors Network- which aims to bring the four countries together to collaborate on research and development, co-investment, and the introduction of critical emerging technologies. But most importantly, Sinodinos stressed, that The Quad sends a message to the region that these four democracies, are working together for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Another one of the several partnerships formed in the region, and one involving China too, is the deal that Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Japan made with ASEAN, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, for a regional free trade agreement.
Still living in Washington with his family, Sinodinos shared his views on the upcoming US elections and their potential impact on international relations, particularly in conflict regions such as Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza.
He discussed the challenge posed on our democracies by the growing influence of social media which has fragmented the political discourse, with the public choosing the news they want to consume, the facts they want to believe in, making it near impossible for people to agree even on a common set of problems.
“We’re living in a world where there’s not just the prospect of actual conflict but what we call the ‘grey zone’ activities. Everything short of an actual war in terms of misinformation, disinformation, hacking of systems, attempts to compromise critical infrastructure,” Sinodinos concluded leaving his audience with a reminder that the future hangs in the balance, and there is need to confront the challenges head-on, united and with clear vision, in safeguarding Australia’s place in the global arena.
