Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
The Asia
and Australia’s engagement with Asia priority provides a regional context for
learning in all areas of the curriculum. It reflects Australia’s extensive
engagement with Asia in social, cultural, political, and economic spheres (Australiancurriculum, n.d.). “Australia’s relationship with Asia has commanded much
interest from observers both within Australia and within Asia, given geographic
nearness and cultural differences. Speaking historically Australian has had an
indifferent and uneasy relationship with Asia, yet since the postwar period
Australia and Asia have embarked upon greater interaction and cooperation
through increased trade, immigration, security concerns, travel, leisure and
cultural exchange” (Pietsch & Aarons, 2012).
Interesting Evidence:
In
terms of political engagement, “since the 1990s successive governments have
held different viewpoints on the extent to which Australia should develop
closer economic, political and cultural ties with the Asian region. In the
early 1990s, Labor Prime Minuster Paul Keating focused Australia’s foreign
policies on Asia. The previous Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, had established the
groundwork for closer economic ties through the founding of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation group, which apart from Australia included Brunei
Darussalam, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New
Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. While this
original aims of APEC were focused on economic cooperation, Keating acknowledge
that it was in Australia’s security interests to foster a deeper engagement
with Asia” (Pietsch & Aarons, 2012).
The Australian Prime
Minster of Australia: Julia Gillard
Reference List
Australiancurriculum.
(n.d). Asia and Australia’s Engagemen with Asia. Retrieved 4 June 2013 from
Pietsch, J. &
Aarons, H. (2012). Australian Engagement
with Asia: Towards close political, economic and cultural ties. Retrieved 4
June 2013 from
Image:
University, A. (2011). Is Australia ready for the 'Asian
century?'. Retrieved 4 June 2013 from
