Ep. 100: Foreign Minister Penny Wong
b'For the 100th episode of Australia in the World, Allan and Darren welcome Australia\\u2019s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong.\\nAllan begins by asking the Minister \\u201cwhy this job?\\u201d given her heavy additional responsibilities, and how she is able to carve out \\u201cthinking time\\u201d given the non-stop nature of her role. The hosts are thrilled to hear that Senator Wong listens to the podcast, and even listened to recent episode where her own speeches were discussed! Darren raises her Kuala Lumpur speech with a question about the links between Australia\\u2019s interests and its evolving modern identity. He then harks back to the Senator\\u2019s first speech to the Australian Parliament, delivered in August 2002, to ask whether compassion \\u2013 a central theme in that first speech \\u2013 might play a role in managing some of Australia\\u2019s most difficult relationships. He then asks what role foreign policy might play in boosting public trust in democratic institutions at home.\\nThe conversation turns to DFAT, and how Australia\\u2019s diplomatic capability can best be augmented given most Commonwealth Government departments have international footprints. Darren cannot resist asking about Senate Estimates hearings, including the balance professional bureaucrats must strike between secrecy and accountability. Allan turns the conversation to agency \\u2013 a long-running theme of the podcast \\u2013 to ask whether and how foreign policy outcomes can be different under the new government. Allan also asks about how Australia can balance its regional versus global interests.\\nWe thank Annabel Howard for audio editing and Rory Stenning for composing our theme music. We also thank all the previous AIIA interns who have provided essential support to the podcast over the past four years.\\nAllan and Darren also wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to listeners to this podcast. The only reason we reached our 100th episode is because of the encouragement, interest and feedback we have received from an audience that has continued to grow. We found an engaged and informed community of people who share our conviction that Australian foreign policy matters for everything we want to do as a country. We could not be more grateful for your support. Thank you.\\nRelevant links\\nSenator the Hon Penny Wong, First Speech to Parliament, 21 August 2022: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F2002-08-21%2F0106%22;src1=sm1'