We are very excited to bring you a special interview this episode with Rebecca Skinner, Associate Secretary of Australia’s Department of Defence, and therefore one of the most senior women working on Australia’s national security. It is a wide-ranging conversation that covers topics including the nature of the Associate Secretary role, civil-military relationships inside the department, the never-ending question of reform, gender issues, and contrasts between private and public sector organisations. Allan and Darren also pose big picture questions on the disrupted strategic environment and how to better integrate Australia’s national security community. On the lighter side, the $400 ash tray from the TV show “The West Wing” and (perhaps) its Australian equivalent – a flute – also come up.
As always, we invite our listeners to email us at this address: australia.world.pod@gmail.com We welcome feedback, requests and suggestions. You can also contact Darren on twitter @limdarrenj
Our thanks go to AIIA intern Charlie Henshall for his help with audio editing, Rory Stenning for composing our theme music, and Martyn Pearce for technical assistance in setting up this episode.
Relevant links
Rebecca Skinner’s biography: http://defence.gov.au/leaders/MsRebeccaSkinner.asp
The West Wing: “Four hundred dollar ashtray”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R9kH_HOUXM
Ep. 10: ASPI’s Danielle Cave and Tom Uren on “cyber”
Ep. 9: US-China rivalry through the lens of regional summitry
Ep. 8: Australian foreign policy speeches, China and Australia's South Pacific pivot/balance, Victoria on the Belt and Road, US midterms and Brazil’s new president
Ep. 7: Jerusalem and the Iran nuclear deal, Khashoggi and Myanmar, Trump vs. the INF and UPU, and quieter Australian diplomacy
Ep. 6: Mike Pence’s Hudson Institute speech and the state of Sino-US relations
Ep. 5: UN General Assembly Meetings; US-China trade war; Australian foreign aid
Ep. 4: Change at the top; Huawei and 5G, PM Morrison to Indonesia
Ep. 3: Turnbull’s “China reset” speech, Australia’s soft power review, and interview with Miles Kupa
Episode 1: The rules-based international order with Allan Gyngell and Darren Lim
Episode 2: Elections in Pakistan and Cambodia, the new trilateral infrastructure investment fund, and how worried should Australia be about the United States?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free