In 2006, all Australian governments, through the Ministerial Council on Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (MCIMA), endorsed the National Action Plan to Build on Social Cohesion, Harmony and Security (NAP). The aim of the project is two-fold: to explore the issues relating to the settlement of African Australians into the Australian community from a human rights...

The recent audacious pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the horn of Africa have fuelled the debate about the privatisation of maritime security. Ship owners and maritime security experts, as well as representatives of industry organisations, have stated that private security companies may be able to ensure safe passage for vessels through...

Carolin Liss of Murdoch University discusses “the possible benefits and disadvantages of Australian participation in an international, UN approved, anti-piracy task-force operating in the Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of Africa. In themselves, Liss notes, “the patrols of pirate-infested waters are of limited use because they will only foil individual attacks, and only...

As part of the Lowy Institute's new 'Perspectives on Africa' website, Australian diplomat Philip Green reflects on Africa's changing prospects: rather than seeing Africa as a continent of war, famine and plague Green identifies a number of positive trends in Africa's development.

Flint Duxfield and Kate Wheen take a microscope to Australia's aid budget and reveal that upwards of a billion dollars in Australia's aid fails to contribute to meaningful poverty reduction in aid recipient countries. Widespread structural flaws in Australia's aid program reveal serious problems in terms of both the quantity and, more importantly, the quality...