Executive Briefing | The Quad and Business
VIEW EVENT DETAILSEconomic cooperation, infrastructure development, and supply chain resilience present significant opportunities for Australian businesses to expand their presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
With the first Australian hosting of the Quad Leaders’ Summit scheduled for later this May in Sydney, what can we expect from this year’s Summit and the Quad’s plans to strengthen trade ties and maintain security across the region?
Asia Society Australia is delighted to invite you to an exclusive Executive Briefing breakfast with Scott Dewar, Deputy Secretary, International and Security Group at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Quad Sherpa, in conversation with Dr. Lavina Lee, Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University, exploring the potential of the Quad for Australia and its impact across the region.
This event is available to attend in person (places strictly limited) and online by invitation only. Registration is essential. For any enquiries, please contact [email protected]
Please note that this event will be held under Chatham House Rule.
Date: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Time: 8:15 arrival with the program running from 9:00 am to 10:00 am AEST
Venue: Sydney CBD or webinar
This executive briefing is in partnership with Clayton Utz.
About our Speakers
Scott Dewar, Deputy Secretary International and Security Group Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Australian Quad Sherpa
Scott began his appointment as Deputy Secretary International and Security Group at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) in February 2023. He previously held the role of Deputy Secretary Quad Sherpa, AUKUS and Naval Shipbuilding and Deputy Security National Security and International Policy. In his current role, Scott supports the Prime Minister across the breadth of national security and international policy issues pertaining to key Government priorities.
Scott has extensive experience in the fields of defence, security and international policy in Australia and overseas, and as an adviser to both Coalition and Labor governments.
Prior to joining PM&C, Scott served at the Department of Defence as the head of the International Policy and Agreements Division of the Nuclear Powered Submarine Task Force. He joined Defence in 2014 as First Assistant Secretary International Policy, responsible for managing Australia's international defence relationships. Following a stint as Acting Deputy Secretary Strategic Policy and Intelligence in 2018, he was appointed Director of the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO) from 2018 to 2021.
Earlier, Scott was a senior career officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He served as a diplomat in the Republic of Korea (1996-1999) and China (2003-2007). Scott was Australia’s Consul-General in Honolulu from 2011 to 2014.
Scott has advised both Labor and Coalition governments, firstly as adviser to the Prime Minister on international, defence and national security issues from 2008 to 2010, and then as Acting Chief of Staff to the Minister for Defence in 2019.
Scott holds a Master of Arts in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Melbourne. In 2010-11, he was seconded to the Australian National University as a Visiting Fellow to the Australian Centre on China in the World. He speaks Japanese, Korean and Mandarin. Scott is married with three sons.
Dr Lavina Lee, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University
Lavina Lee is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Sydney.
In 2020, she was appointed to the Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute by the Australian Defence Minister and was previously a Director of the Institute for Regional Security.
Dr. Lee is also a non-resident fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as well as a non-resident Senior Fellow at the US Studies Centre. Prior to joining Macquarie University, she was a political risk consultant with Control Risks Group.
Dr. Lee is the author of the book US Hegemony and International Legitimacy: Norms Power and Followership in the Wars on Iraq (Routledge, 2010), and has published numerous articles, book chapters, research reports and commentary on maritime security and strategy in the Indo-Pacific, the Quad, Indian foreign and security policy, and the US-Australia alliance. She also periodically publishes opinion pieces in The Australian, The Australian Financial Review, The Hindustan Times, and the New Straits Times, as well as with specialist policy outlets such as the Lowy Interpreter and ASPI Strategist.
Dr Lee has commerce and law degrees from the University of NSW, an MA in International Peace and Security from King’s College, the University of London (with distinction), and a PhD in International Relations from Sydney University.
Asia Society Australia acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.