This article summarises a symposium held at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra in late August 2015.

• The Forums part in Australian Diplomacy examined the UN Security Council and how Australia can add more value to world peace and security
• The Tools component in Australian Diplomacy focused on Aid, Humanitarian, Consular and Cultural Diplomacy
• The Actors component in Australian Diplomacy focused on  Civil-Military Diplomacy, Parliamentary Diplomacy, Sports Diplomacy and Diaspora Diplomacy
• The Themes part of the symposium focused on Public Diplomacy, Diversity in Diplomacy and Decency in Diplomacy

The quality, reach and effectiveness of Australia’s diplomacy can be enhanced by all key stakeholders in Australia and internationally. Australia needs to nurture quality relations with all nations in the Indo-Pacific region and globally.  It needs to harness the knowledge and good advice from former diplomats like John McCarthy, President of the AIIA and many others who work collaboratively with DFAT to improve Australia’s diplomatic capabilities and impact. Australia needs to incorporate the latest research from its top academics and thinks tanks into its diplomatic decision-making and create evidence based policies and evaluation frameworks. United we can drive positive change in Australian diplomacy and advance our national and international interests in a complex, inter-dependent and volatile world.

Ordan Andreevski is Director of Australian Outreach at United Macedonian Diaspora (Australia)