The Politics of Defence

Robert Hill was a member of the Australian Senate from 1981 to 2006, representing South Australia. He was educated at the University of Adelaide and the London School of Economics, where he gained a Masters degree in law.

Robert was elected Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1990 to 1996 when, on the election of the Howard Government, he became Leader of the Government in the Senate from March 1996 until his resignation in January 2006. He was Minister for the Environment 1996 – 1998, Minister for the Environment and Heritage 1998 – 2002 and Minister for Defence from November 2001 to January 2006. In July 2005, the Coalition parties took control of the Senate and Robert became the first Government Leader in the Senate since 1981 to command a majority in the chamber. In January 2006 he announced his resignation from the Parliament. Robert was appointed Australian Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations in New York from 2006 to 2009. From 2009 until January 2012 Robert served as Chairman of the Australian Carbon Trust (later Low Carbon Australia Ltd.).

He is Adjunct Professor in Sustainability at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and Chairman of the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living at the University of New South Wales. He was appointed Chancellor of the University of Adelaide in 2010.

In June 2012 Robert was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the Parliament in the portfolios of Environment and Defence and to Australia’s International relations.

Professor Alan Dupont has worked on Australian defence and Asian security issues for more than 30 years as a strategist, diplomat, policy analyst and scholar. He is Professor of International Security at the University of New South Wales and a non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.

He was previously the foundation Michael Hintze Chair of International Security at the University of Sydney, director of the Centre for International Security and CEO of the United States Studies Centre. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the Australian National University and is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and the US Foreign Service Institute.

During his time in government he served in the departments of Defence and Foreign Affairs and Trade, which included postings with the Australian embassies in Seoul and Jakarta. He has also worked as a freelance journalist in South America.

Professor Dupont has published widely on Australian defence and international security issues and has been a regular contributor to several leading international and Australian newspapers, including the International Herald Tribune, Australian Financial Review and the Australian, where he wrote a regular column on foreign policy and defence for several years.

Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. She is the host of The Fifth Estate, the Wheeler Centre’s live series focusing on journalism, politics, media, and international relations, and The Leap Year ...