ANU Meet the Author Series
Gareth Evans will be in conversation with Michelle Grattan on Gareth’s new essay, Good International Citizenship. The Case for Decency.
Why should we in Australia, or any country, care about poverty, human rights atrocities, health epidemics, environmental catastrophes, weapons proliferation or any other problems afflicting faraway countries, when they don’t, as is often the case, have any direct or immediate impact on our own safety or prosperity?
Gareth Evans’ answer is the approach he adopted when Australia’s foreign minister. He argues that to be, and be seen to be, a good international citizen-a state that cares about other people’s suffering, and does everything reasonably possible to alleviate it-is both a moral imperative and a matter of hard-headed national interest. The case for decency in conducting our international relations is based both on the reality of our common humanity, and a national interest just as compelling as the traditional duo of security and prosperity.
Gareth Evans AC QC was a Cabinet minister throughout the Hawke-Keating governments, including as foreign minister from 1988 to 1996. In his 21-year parliamentary career, he served as both leader of the government in the Senate and deputy leader of the Opposition. After leaving politics, he was president of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group from 2000 to 2009, and Chancellor of the Australian National University from 2010 to 2019, where he is now Distinguished Honorary Professor.
Michelle Grattan AO is one of Australia’s most respected political journalists and a former editor of the Canberra Times. She has been held positions with the Australian Financial Review, the Sydney Morning Herald and as Political Editor of The Age. Michelle currently has a dual role, as Professorial Fellow at the University of Canberra and as Chief Political Correspondent at The Conversation.