New South Wales

NSW Branch Membership

Membership of the Australian Institute of International Affairs NSW (AIIA NSW) gives access to the pre-eminent public network of expert knowledge on international affairs in Australia. To gain a competitive edge in this rapidly globalising world, individuals and organisations need to secure the best, politically independent information and analysis. Whether you’re looking to stay on top of relations with India, China, the United States or Europe, whether your field of interest is developments in the Middle East or the Pacific, membership of the AIIA should be a priority: the AIIA is the oldest, most prestigious and respected organisation of its kind in Australia.

To pay by credit card through Stripe please go to NSW’s GlueUp page or follow the relevant links above.

By bank transfer to our account at Westpac. The BSB number is 032 197 and the account number 327782. To confirm you have done this, please email: nswexec@internationalaffairs.org.au

By cheque mailed to AIIA NSW, The Glover Cottages,124 Kent St, Sydney 2000  To confirm you have done this, please email: nswexec@internationalaffairs.org.au

What We Do

The AIIA is one of Australia’s premier think tanks, promoting public engagement with international affairs across a wide range of topics. The importance of the AIIA NSW lies in the variety of perspectives it brings to the most pressing international issues. The AIIA is an independent organisation and its weekly Sydney meetings are enriched by valuable input from academics, diplomats, journalists, and specialists from diverse backgrounds.

AIIA NSW members can keep their practical understanding of international affairs up to date by joining the AIIA’s international study tours. Study tours are led by field-experts and run regularly to regions and countries of global importance. Recent tours have visited China and Indonesia. The AIIA NSW’s continuing contact with international organisations and think tanks abroad ensures the international relevance and accuracy of its work.

The AIIA NSW also plays an important role on the frontline of international relations, receiving overseas delegations and cultivating relationships with organisations and persons in other countries. As well as looking outward, the AIIA NSW remains engaged with the embassies and community organisations that represent Australia’s vibrant international interests here in Sydney.

The AIIA NSW is committed to the future of international affairs in Australia, with opportunities for youth engagement built into all operations. The AIIA NSW Intern Program gives the next generation of international thinkers the valuable opportunity to gain practical experience of the AIIA’s functions and processes. The AIIA also partners with youth organisations across Sydney for specialist events, including NSW Young Lawyers, Sydney International Young Professionals, the major universities in the greater Sydney region and Young UN Women.

The AIIA NSW is an independent, non-profit organisation, committed to the promotion of informed discussion among the Australian public on international issues and their impact on Australia. Members and visitors hear well informed speakers discuss international issues in an informal environment at the historic Glover Cottages, at 124 Kent St, Sydney

NSW Executive & Council 2023/2024

The NSW Executive and Council were elected at the AGM on October 31, 2023 and will be in their elected positions until the next AGM.

Our History

The Australian Institute of International Affairs, New South Wales is Australia’s oldest think tank, established only four years after its parent organisation, The British Institute of International Affairs (now the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House). Archibald Hamilton Charteris, a distinguished member of the British Institute, founded a NSW branch in 1924 after coming to Australia to take up the position of Challis Chair of International Law and Jurisprudence at the University of Sydney. A. H. Charteris’s work combined his academic and research interests in IR with his practical experience in the British Admiralty and Intelligence during the First World War. Crucially for the Institute, he was also dedicated to bringing International Relations to the general public. His public lectures were well attended, and his witty talks on ABC radio made other broadcasters seem “laboriously well-informed, congenitally uninteresting, and cacophonous” by comparison (according W.S. Sheldon’s contribution to The Jubilee Book of the Law School of the University of Sydney 1890-1940, edited by Sir Thomas Bavin).

Archibald Hamilton Charteris went on to become the first president of the newly-formed Australian Institute of International Affairs, a federated body established in 1932 to incorporate the existing Victorian and New South Wales organisations. Today, the AIIA has grown to include seven branches across Australia. Like A. H. Charteris, early members of the AIIA NSW were the leading IR commentators and policy figures of the day, participating actively in International Affairs within governmental and other organisations at the highest level. During its history the AIIA has been honoured by the involvement of many distinguished figures including: Former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, Former Chief Justices Sir Garfield Barwick, Sir John Latham and Sir Owen Dixon, Former Governor General Lord Casey, and distinguished Australians Sir Ian Clunies Ross, Sir Richard Boyer, Sir Russel Madigan and E.C. Dyason.

The world was a very different place when the AIIA NSW began its mission to bring international affairs to the Australian public. Since 1924, Australia has transformed from a colonial outpost of imperial Britain to a truly international actor, deeply engaged with nations and organisations from every continent.  The Institute’s enduring commitment to independent analysis of the most important international issues has meant that the AIIA has continued to develop at the forefront of Australia’s changing role in global affairs.

Applications for our Semester 2 2024 (July – December) internship program have closed.

Internships at AIIA NSW are offered to university students who have an interest in international affairs, and who are looking to further develop their skills for future professional involvement in international policy. AIIA NSW internships are highly competitive and previous interns have found employment in Australian Public Service graduate roles, think tanks, not-for-profit organisations, business, law and academia.

Please note that the AIIA NSW is not considering interstate applications at this time and does not sponsor relocation to Sydney. For those residing outside of NSW, you can view internship opportunities at other AIIA branches.

AIIA NSW’s internship program offers:

• Opportunities to attend speaker events, including private roundtable discussions with presenters before events
• Opportunities to publish opinion pieces on the AIIA website, including in AIIA’s national online publication Australian Outlook
• Participation in intern presentation and debate nights
• Training in event organisation, public speaking, debating and research
• Opportunities to network with experts and AIIA members, who have wide-ranging experience in international affairs
• Participation in masterclasses on diplomacy, publishing and management and an annual careers event
• Access to mentors from the public, private, academic and not-for-profit sectors

Internship duties

AIIA NSW interns must be able to commit to the full duration of the internship. For Semester 1 internships, the duration will be from February to June, and for Semester 2 internships, the duration will be from July to December.  Internship periods roughly coincide with university timetables.

Interns must be available to assist during events which are usually held on Tuesday evenings at Glover Cottages in Sydney, and may need to allocate additional time to complete research and administrative tasks. Interns are expected to:

• Provide administrative assistance such as producing promotional information for events, assistance in setting up, managing multimedia and summarising events for the AIIA website
• Produce a short opinion piece of 600-800 words and an option to pitch another piece to Australian Outlook, both on topics of their choice
• Contribute to the Columns from Glover Cottages Newsletter
• Participate in intern presentations and debates
• Promote AIIA events in interns’ university campuses, and through other platforms including social media

Selection criteria

AIIA NSW is looking for current undergraduate students and postgraduate students who have:

• Excellent writing, research, presentation and public speaking skills
• Initiative and motivation
• Teamwork and time management skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Awareness of, and interest in, international affairs

Knowledge and prior experience with professional audio-visual equipment, social media management, online marketing and hosting webinar events through applications such as Zoom are highly desirable.

How to apply

Applications for internships are welcomed during the following period:

• For Semester 1 internships 2025, applications will open in November 2024.
• For Semester 2 internships 2024, applications have now closed.

Applications should be emailed to nswinternships@gmail.com, with the subject “AIIA NSW Internship Application – Your Name”, and must contain:

• A brief cover letter that addresses the selection criteria
• A CV or resume, including contact details for two referees
• A sample of written analytical work that is no more than 3 pages in length. The sample should be on any topic of international affairs and should showcase analytical and communication skills rather than just subject-matter knowledge. For those who wish to submit a three-page extract of a larger piece, please include an introduction and conclusion. Do not submit co-authored pieces.

Please collate all documents into a single PDF attachment.

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to attend in-person or online interviews.

Enquiries

For further information, please email nswinternships@gmail.com.

Jacob Barry is in his final semester of his International and Global Studies undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney. He has recently returned from studying abroad in Madrid, where he attended Universidad Carlos III. Jacob has previously been involved in an internship program at the Australian Consulate in Hong Kong, working in the Border Security and Public Affairs departments. He has also recently interned at Brunswick Group Consulting’s Sydney office, working with high-profile ESG and sustainability figures in the Australian advisory business. Jacob is interested in international affairs and hopes to work in the public service following his graduation.

Isabella Crowe is an Honours year student at UNSW, completing a Bachelor of International Studies with minors in International Relations, Development and French. She is currently working on her Honours thesis and is interested in researching memory politics and policy in Australia, specifically related to colonial history. She recently returned from a exchange year studying International Relations in French at Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence and is interested in Franco-Australian relations, languages, diplomacy and Australia’s place in the world. As a volunteer, she has been involved with ENGin and the Refugee Action Campaign.

Paris Fleury is in her final semester at the University of Sydney, where she is studying for a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and International Relations, French). While undertaking her degree, Paris spent a semester abroad at the prestigious Sciences Po University, where she received a High Distinction certificate for her work. She is also a member of the Peace and Security Team for the United Nations Association of Australia NSW Division. In this role, she serves as the youth representative for the Peace and Security Agenda. Her research interests include gender equality and feminist foreign policy, global sustainable development, and the future of hegemonic succession.

Jie Rui Lin is a third-year Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Advanced Studies student majoring in Business Analytics and International Relations at the University of Sydney. He is the Chief of Partnerships at Educating the Future, a youth-led not-for-profit committed to improving the quality of pre-school education in impoverished communities of Timor-Leste. Some of Jie Rui’s notable contributions to Educating the Future include arranging discussions with His Excellency President José Ramos-Horta and successfully leading two editions of the Timor-Leste Australia Youth Dialogue. Jie Rui will undertake a semester exchange to Waseda University later in 2024.

Adam Scislowski is a fifth-year undergraduate studying International Studies and Media at the University of New South Wales. Furthermore, he has recently completed a year abroad at the University of Pennsylvania in the USA, achieving a 4.0 GPA. He performed the role of Philosoph at Polybian, a political debating club at the University of Pennsylvania and volunteered extensively around Europe throughout 2023. His main areas of interest include Sino-US rivalry, the role of Australia in the Indo-Pacific and the emerging role of AI in International Relations. He has written 2 published papers on the role of AI in international security.

Harriet (Hattie) Shand is in her third year at the University of New South Wales, where she is studying a Bachelor of Law and Arts (Asian Studies, Politics and International Relations). Hattie’s focus is the Asia-Pacific, particularly in regards to advocating for increased Asian cultural and political literacy amongst Western nations. Hattie’s academic work on the feminisation and romanticisation of the Pacific seeks to highlight the cultural weaponization of the Pacific by key international actors. In 2021 Hattie founded and organised the Inaugural Public Education Forum, with guest speaker the Hon. Michael Kirby, and has experience advocating for education equity in both local and federal politics. Hattie currently works as a legal assistant at a law firm in Sydney.

The Charteris Library is a small, specialized collection of books and papers located at the the Glover Cottages at 124 Kent Street, Sydney. . All  are available for reference to current AIIA NSW members. Donations and/or financial assistance are welcomed to enable the Charteris Library to expand its services.

Library Access

All current AIIA NSW members may access the Charteris Library. A booklist and possible online reference system are currently under development and are available in our online catalog.

Contributors

The Charteris Library has benefited from substantial donations, both financial and academic, that have added to the current collection. Many donated texts in the Charteris Library collection were authored by past and current members of the AIIA. The Library is named after Professor A. H. Charteris, the founding father and first president of the N.S.W Branch 1924-29.

Brief History

From 1935-71 permanent office and library space was acquired by the AIIA, housed at the Bank of New South Wales office at 369 George Street, Sydney. Before this the library had been housed in the university office of Professor MacDonald Holmes and contained all of the collection. From 1971-80 17 Renny Street, Paddington was the home of the N.S.W branch until the subsequent move in 1980 to the current premises at the Glover Cottages, 124 Kent Street, Sydney. The library, recently named the Charteris Library, has been steadily growing and expanding since its relocation from Paddington to Milsons Point.

Publications

See our national list of publications and policy commentaries.