Australasian Political Studies Association Conference 2003
Hosted by the School of Government
University of Tasmania

International Politics Stream

Australia and International Society

Dr Tom Conley
Lecturer
School of International Business and Asian Studies
Griffith University

Jessica Ellis
School of Political Science and International Studies
University of Queensland

Abstract:

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Australia promoted itself as a good international citizen and middle power. Since the election of the Howard Government in 1996, there has been a shift in rhetoric and policy. The stated basis of this government’s foreign policy is unequivocally advancing our national interest, best achieved as deputy sheriff to a unilateralist United States. Through ambivalence and occasional hostility to the United Nations, international law and multilateralism, the Howard Government has removed Australia from the core of international society.

This paper argues that the aim of the shift is to free the government from the constraints of the norms of international society in both the domestic and international spheres. By considering a range of policy areas, including refugee, trade and security issues, the paper investigates the implications of Australia’s changing role in international society.