Governance in Practice – Meeting with Federal Politicians and Tour of Australia’s Parliament House

Session Coordinator: Joel Wing-Lun

Despite close economic ties and common regional interests, political relations between Australia and the People's Republic of China have not always been smooth. Different political systems and cultures present challenges for political leaders from both nations, yet cooperation is essential if common goals are to be achieved. The Governance in Practice session includes a tour of Parliament House, Canberra, and a discussion of Australia-China relations and government policy with federal MPs Dr Andrew Leigh and Josh Frydenberg. The Parliament House session will be followed by dinner at Old Parliament House, where Professor Kerry Brown, Director of the University of Sydney China Studies Centre, will discuss Chinese governance, politics and implications for Australia.

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Josh Frydenberg MP

Federal Member for Kooyong

Josh Frydenberg is a Federal Member for Kooyong, from the Liberal Party of Australia. He did his tertiary studies at Monash University where he undertook Law and Economics degrees, graduating with Honours in both. Frydenberg holds a Master of Philosophy degree in International Relations from Oxford University (where he was awarded a scholarship by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom) and a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Upon returning to Australia, he was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Frydenberg later served as an assistant adviser to Attorney General Daryl Williams OC, adviser and then senior adviser to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, and finally, senior adviser to Prime Minister John Howard. Frydenberg hes written a number of editorials for leading publications including the The Age, The Herald Sun, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review.

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Andrew Leigh MP

Federal Member for Fraser

Prior to being elected in 2010 as the federal member for Fraser, Andrew was a professor of economics at the Australian National University.

Andrew has written extensively on a range of subjects, including education, taxation and social policy. He also writes regularly for the Australian press.

Andrew holds a PhD in public policy from Harvard, having graduated from the University of Sydney with first class honours in Law and Arts. He has previously worked as a lawyer (including a stint as associate to former High Court Justice Michael Kirby), and as a principal adviser to the Australian Treasury.

Andrew is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences, the only parliamentarian to be a fellow of one of the four national academies. In 2011, he received the 'Young Economist Award', a prize given every two years by the Economics Society of Australia to the best Australian economist under 40.

Andrew has been a member of the Australian Labor Party since 1991.

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'Australia’s lower house of parliament', image courtesy of Stephen K via Flickr