Strategic Dialogue talks in London, Olympic sites in Stratford

Last week I attended the annual Strategic Dialogue talks with senior officials from the Foreign Office, Defence and other agencies, and their Australian counterparts. They took place at the Foreign Secretary’s historic London residence in Carlton Gardens. We covered a very broad range of foreign policy issues from Asia to Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as topical issues like Cyber. I am always struck by how very close the two countries are in our shared analysis; and I was pleased that we were able to identify some useful areas for strengthened cooperation.

I also had the opportunity to visit the Olympic Park in Stratford. It is looking really impressive with under a year still to go. There was a sign aimed at the people working on the project “Be proud, you’re working on London 2012” – they certainly have a lot to be proud of. I have met a number of Australian Olympians and Paralympians, and I know how much they are looking forward to competing in London next year.

Right next to the Olympic Park is the brand new Westfield Stratford, which had just opened the week before, a massive £1.5 billion investment in the UK by the Australian retail giant. I was given a tour by one of the project leaders. He told me that the Mall had attracted a million customers in its first week of business. With 300 stores, it will create 10,000 jobs, and serve around 25 million visitors a year.

I called on a number of people who are planning official visits to Australian in the coming months, including the Lord Mayor-designate, and the Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Culture Media and Sport. And I had lots of meetings with colleagues working on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth next month.

I was guest speaker at the Autumn Dinner of two major UK/Australia cultural organisations: the Britain Australia Society and the Cook Society. It took place in the splendid surroundings of the Peers Dining Room at the House of Lords. I commented that I was hoping to bump into Lord Gaga, so I could tell him how much my teenagers enjoyed his wife’s work.