12th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
That’s how Foreign Minister Julie Bishop described this week’s Australia UK Ministerial (AUKMIN) meeting in London, between Foreign and Defence Ministers from the two countries. William Hague responded by describing a “unique relationship that makes Australia one of our most important partners.” Ms Bishop opened the London Stock Exchange on Monday morning, then together with […]
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31st January 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Last night the Defence Minister and a range of other senior defence figures came to dinner at my residence, Westminster House. They joined us to bid farewell to my Defence Adviser, Brigadier Will Taylor, at the end of his tour in Canberra. They enjoyed supping from my range of British ales, including Spitfire and Bombadier. […]
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22nd January 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
This year marks the start of a whole series of commemorations to mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War. There are active current debates in both Australia and Britain around the way school curricula deal with history. But one thing is clear, we are both committed to remembering the sacrifice of the millions of […]
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15th January 2014
Athens, Greece
How can defence possibly be interesting? For me it can be if it’s about people – the people behind events, their roles and lives. How they think. What they think and what inspires them. What they do and how they work with others. I’ve never been a great fan of Doctor Who. But I like […]
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10th December 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Defence Industry matters to South Australia. The state is home to 32% of the Australian defence industry workforce. That includes many British companies like BAE Systems, Babcock, Cobham and Ultra. Employment in the sector is expected to grow from 27,000 to 37,000 by 2020. This is important at a time when some of SA’s […]
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4th December 2013
Brasilia, Brazil
Last Friday (29), I had the opportunity to return to Rio de Janeiro, where I lived for almost 8 years, to participate in the X International Security Conference of the Fort of Copacabana, an initiative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation-KAS and the Brazilian Center for International Relations-CEBRI, supported by the Delegation of the European […]
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18th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Nancy Wake was one of the most famous SOE operatives of the Second World War. Working in Occupied France, she first helped rescue allied airmen, and then working with the French Resistance led a campaign of sabotage against the Nazis. The Gestapo called her the White Mouse and at one stage she topped their “most […]
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18th October 2013
Washington DC, USA
Tom Hanks and I fell out back in the early 1990’s. I’m not sure if he noticed. The problem was, first, that he won the Oscar for Philadelphia when I wanted Daniel Day-Lewis to get it for In the Name of the Father. Then, to rub salt in my movie-nerd wounds, the awful Forrest Gump […]
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11th October 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Sailing into Sydney’s magnificent harbour aboard HMS Daring, one of the Royal Navy’s most advanced warships, was a spectacular experience. We were part of a fleet of 40 naval ships from 19 countries, there to celebrate the Royal Australian Navy’s 100th anniversary. I had spent two nights at sea on HMS Daring, and developed a healthy respect […]
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2nd October 2013
Washington DC, USA
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to travel to NATO headquarters in Brussels to attend a course put together by my colleagues in the UK Joint Delegation to NATO. The course is designed to give staff a thorough introduction to NATO and an understanding of its place at the centre of the UK’s defence […]
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