L I S A R O E T

AUSTRALIAN ARTIST

“Through collaboration with Asialink Arts, I was supported to release a large-scale sculptural commission presented in the heart of Beijing. Acknowledging the Year of The Monkey and China’s Golden Week, a 14 metre inflatable ‘Golden Monkey’ was installed on the exterior of The Opposite House Hotel, coinciding with 2017 Beijing Design Week. The Golden Monkey project was an incredible and ambitious project and has been my largest project to date and prompted dialogue about science, the environment, culture and art - transcending cultural boundaries.”

ASIALINK ARTS

K E E W O N G

DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, ASIALINK AND BOARD MEMBER ASIALINK BUSINESS

“An Asia capable Australian workforce is essential for our national prosperity. The impact we’ve had through small and medium enterprises is something we’re particularly proud of. These businesses are at the forefront of developing Australia’s opportunities in the region.”

ASIALINK BUSINESS

S H A I L E S H D A N G L E

MISSION INNOVATIONS

“The Asialink Leaders Program provided me with an in-depth understanding of the critical cross-cultural skills required to operate within the rapidly changing economic landscape of Asia. This innovative program highlighted the opportunities available in emerging Asian markets by pairing insightful country-specific research with learning from industry experts and peers. As a leader, the program was an invaluable experience that had an intense impact on my ability to make accurate strategic decisions.”

ASIALINK BUSINESS

H E AT H E R R I D O U T

BOARD MEMBER, ASIALINK AND CHAIR,

AUSTRALIAN SUPER

“Asialink has unrivalled breadth and connections with Asia, whether they be links with the arts, health, business or education. This unrivalled breadth is important because it keeps alive those relationships and it celebrates the diverse links we can have with Asia.”

ASIALINK

A LY S S A G O O D M A N

STUDENT, LILYDALE WEST PRIMARY SCHOOL

“As part of the Malaysian BRIDGE partnership I enjoyed making a new friend with one of the Year 4 students at Sekolah

Kebangsaan Puteri. Her name is Joe, she is 11 years old and she sent me a book about herself. I sent her a

piece of work that I made in Indonesian class called “All about Me”. I loved learning about what they do

in Malaysia - like going to school really early and finishing at 1 o’clock - that’s really different!”

The AEF’s BRIDGE program establishes school partnerships between students, teachers and

school communities through the use of technologies that open their classrooms

to the world.

ASIA EDUCATION FOUNDATION

A N T H O N Y R I C H A R D S O N

ACTING SENIOR SERGEANT, VICTORIA POLICE

“Through the Asialink partnership, I have been able to share how we as police deal with mental health crises in our streets

and in our hospitals with my counterparts in Shenzhen, China. This opportunity has certainly opened my eyes to

the value of working across cultures to address global mental health issues.”

ASIA AUSTRALIA MENTAL HEALTH

V E R N H I L D I T C H

PRINCIPAL, WODONGA SECONDARY COLLEGE

“The various programs supported by the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) have

enabled us to explore what Asia literacy looks like from the perspective of our regional school

community. Hosting Indonesian Teachers as part of the BRIDGE and Australian Awards initiatives has

allowed our students and teachers to explore other cultures and languages. Our leadership team developed

an enhanced understanding of what our students are likely to face in an increasingly global interdependent community

through the Leading Asia Capable Schools Course. The AEF’s programs are developing a deeper understanding of the world for

our school community - a task always difficult in regional Australia.”

ASIA EDUCATION FOUNDATION

E L I N A N O O R

DIRECTOR, FOREIGN POLICY AND SECURITY STUDIES,

INSTITUTE OF STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL

STUDIES MALAYSIA

“Over a decade the ASEAN Australia New Zealand Dialogue has become an

established mechanism for a frank exchange of views between ASEAN and its oldest Dialogue

Partners. The meetings have provided exposure for younger analysts and the opportunity for government

representatives to speak with people from our network and others with long experience of ASEAN.”

ASIALINK DIPLOMACY

3MPEOPLE ACROSS THE ASIAN REGION

Asialink Level 4, Sidney Myer Asia Centre Gate 4, The University of Melbourne Parkville, Victoria 3010 Australia

www.asialink.unimelb.edu.au

T:  613 8344 4800 F: 613 9347 1768

fb.me/Asialink.Au@_Asialink_

Asialink is Australia’s leading centre for the promotion of public understanding of the countries of Asia and of Australia’s role in the region. We are a key provider of information, training and professional networks.

Our purpose is to build an Asia-capable, deeply Asia-engaged Australia through thought leadership and innovative programs that build knowledge, skills and partnerships.

Asialink excels in “soft diplomacy” - delivering high-level forums, international collaborations, leadership training, education, community health and cultural programs in Australia and Asia.

Asialink is an affiliate of The University of Melbourne and an initiative of the Myer Foundation, established in 1990 as a joint initiative of the Australian Government’s Commission for the Future and the Myer Foundation, one of Australia’s oldest and largest philanthropic organisations.

The Asialink Centre gratefully acknowledges the long-term support provided by The Myer Foundation and The University of Melbourne and the generous contributions of our partners and sponsors.

A N N UA L R E POR T 2 0 1 6

2 0 1 6 Y E A R I N R E V I E W

AUSTRALIA

CHINA

HONG KONG

PHILIPPINES

NEPAL

SINGAPORE

INDONESIA

MALAYSIA

CAMBODIA. VIETNAM

TAIWAN

SOUTH KOREA

JAPAN

INDIA

B U S I N E S S : A U S T R A L I A ( S Y D N E Y, M E L B O U R N E , C A N B E R R A , P E R T H , D A R W I N , C A I R N S , T O O W O O M B A , B R I S B A N E , O R A N G E , A D E L A I D E , P I L B A R A ) , C H I N A , S I N G A P O R E , PHILIPPINES.

D I P L O M A C Y : M A L AY S I A ( K U A L A LUMPUR), SINGAPORE, PHILIPPINES (MANILA), INDONESIA (YOGYAKARTA), VIETNAM (HO CHI MINH CITY).

EDUCATION: AUSTRALIA (CANBERRA, H O B A R T , S Y D N E Y, M E L B O U R N E , BRISBANE, PERTH), INDIA , MALAYSIA , I N D O N E S I A , V I E T N A M , T H A I L A N D , SOUTH KOREA , CHINA , HONG KONG, SINGAPORE AND CAMBODIA.

M E N T A L H E A L T H : A U S T R A L I A (MELBOURNE) , CH INA (SHENZHEN , GUANGZHOU, WENZHOU, CHENGDU, ZHANJ IANG , CHANGSHA , DAL IAN) , SINGAPORE, HONG KONG, CAMBODIA, KIRIBATI AND INDONESIA.

A R T S : A U S T R A L I A ( S Y D N E Y , M E L B O U R N E , C A N B E R R A , P E R T H , F R E M A N T L E ) , C H I N A ( B E I J I N G , CHENGDU, JINGDEZHEN, CHONGQING), HONG KONG, INDIA (VARANASI, NEW D E L H I , B A N G A L O R E ) , I N D O N E S I A (BALI, YOGYAKARTA), JAPAN (TOKYO, YOKOHAMA , SAPPORO, SETOUCHI) , K O R E A ( G O Y A N G , C H E O N G J U , SEOUL), MALAYSIA (PENANG), NEPAL (K ATHMANDU), SINGAPORE, TAIWAN (TAIPEI, KUANDU).

Over 3 million attendees at Asialink Arts Projects events in the Asian region.

ASIALINK ARTS

5000 people in Asia and Australia were given important business-focused intelligence at 63 events.

ASIALINK BUSINESS

Landmark report on South China Sea issue, circulated by prominent Australian and regional media outlets, with an estimated readership of more than 20 million.

ASIALINK DIPLOMACY

Master-classes on teaching for intercultural understanding, digital technologies, and global competencies engaged over 250 Australian educators.

ASIA EDUCATION FOUNDATION

11 Country Starter Packs, 44 case studies, 12 bespoke research reports.

ASIALINK BUSINESS

Facilitated collaborations between 130 school leaders with peers in China, South Korea and Indonesia.

ASIA EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Research collaborations in psychiatry and mental health produced 20 papers in high impact peer reviewed journals.

ASIA AUSTRALIA MENTAL HEALTH

Showcased Australian creativity and supported collaborations with leading Arts organisations in 11 countries across the region.

ASIALINK ARTS

Developed and led study tours for 100 Australian school educators to seven Asian countries.

ASIA EDUCATION FOUNDATION

850 Asia based health professionals trained to help close the ever-widening mental health treatment gap in the region.

ASIA AUSTRALIA MENTAL HEALTH

Built understanding of contemporary China and India for 790 attendees through Australia in the World public lectures at the University of Melbourne.

ASIALINK DIPLOMACY

78 training programs delivered in Australia and Asia assisted Australians across all sectors to successfully engage with diverse Asian markets.

ASIALINK BUSINESS

BUSINESSIn partnership with the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan Secretariat and the Bennelong Foundation, over 700 students participated in pre-departure training for the New Colombo Plan.

Launched a new online training platform, with four initial programs.

62 leaders graduated from the Asialink Leaders Program in 2016. The Leaders Alumni group now comprises over 700 professionals working across Australia and the region.

Completed the suite of 11 Country Starter Packs.

Produced  the Growing Knowledge Economies special report, setting out the opportunities for Australian professional services firms in Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore and Japan and the Business Investment Guide to assist overseas investors understand the Australian market. 

ARTS

Supported 33 individual artist residency projects including inbound and outbound activities.

Co-presented 3 major exhibition projects to 3 Asian cities: Seoul; Beijing and Taipei.

Delivered a major forum on global cultural collaborations between art and science in partnership with University of Melbourne’s Carlton Connect and Creative Victoria.

Developed and delivered 6 online country resources for Australian Cultural Professionals.

EDUCATIONDelivered professional learning to leading Indonesian teachers as part of the Australia Awards in Indonesia.

Launched Australia-ASEAN BRIDGE School Partnerships program; using technology to communicate and connect classrooms.

Launched and delivered the Go Global suite of programs engaging 300 students in design thinking methodology to resolve regional and national issues.

Partnered with the Department of Education and Training Victoria to deliver the Leading Asia Capable Schools Course, to build the Asia capabilities of Victorian principals with a six-month blended professional learning model.

DIPLOMACY

Produced South China Sea “snapshot report” providing regional perspectives from key experts and policymakers on Southeast Asia’s response to the international court ruling on South China Sea disputes.

Produced 6 video interviews with women leaders across Australia and ASEAN, in consultation with ABC International and with support from the Australia-ASEAN Council.

Co-convened more than 30 experts and policymakers across ASEAN to discuss regional security, politics, trade and policy coordination, in partnership with Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia and the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

MENTAL HEALTH

Received the first Australian grant for Shenzhen Government’s “Three Famous Project” to grow the city’s capacity to deliver contemporary mental health services.

Established the International Depression Research Centre with Wenzhou Kangning Hospital.

Provided consultation to the EIU Asia-Pacific Mental Health Integration Index.