Crawford School of Public Policy

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Allan Behm – former public servant and advisor to Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong – joins Mark Kenny to discuss how Australia could gain greater relevance on the international stage.

What impact does Australia’s failure to reconcile with dark aspects of its past have on its position on the international stage? Despite having many structural advantages, why does the country fail to execute its role as a middle power? And how is the securitisation of politics in Australia undermining public policy-making? Allan Behm, Director of International Affairs and Security at the Australia Institute and author of No enemies No Friends: Restoring Australia’s Global Relevance, joins Professor Mark Kenny on this episode of Democracy Sausage. Listen here.

Allan Behm is Head of the International and Security Affairs program at The Australia Institute. Allan spent 30 years in the Australian Public Service, as a member of the Australian diplomatic service, the Prime Minister’s Department, the Department of Defence and the Attorney General’s Department. He specialised in international relations, defence strategy, counter-terrorism and law enforcement policy.

Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

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This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.