In the Zone

During In the Zone 2009, Perth was appropriately recognised as having ‘the right address’ for doing business with the key players of the 21st century.

In 2011, Perth will take its place on the world stage as the host of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (ChoGM) and associated multilateral meetings including the Commonwealth Business, Youth and Community forums.

In response to an increasing awareness of the importance of the Indian ocean region, described by Robert Kaplan, Senior Fellow at the Center for a new American Security in Washington, DC, as being “centre stage for the challenges of the 21st century”, the Australian American Leadership Dialogue (AALD) will also be held in Perth during 2011.

This rich mix of international events demonstrates that there is no need to choose between geography and history, and that as Western Australians we need and rely on a range of global engagements and alliances.

Foreign engagement

Each event in Perth in 2011 will highlight different facets of our foreign engagement.

• In the Zone – the opportunity inherent in our geography and resource wealth as a partner of newly prosperous nations closely aligned in time, geography and trade; ChoGM – the long-standing ties of history and values, a common heritage and forms of governance; and AALD – the deepening of our alliances in matters of security, prosperity and common culture in this newly important theatre of the Indian Ocean region.

• Perth must continue to build on the comparative advantages of its geographic positioning to increase its own unique global connectivity in the 21st century, as a critical point of intersection between the old world and the new, a gateway between the west and the east and a place of convergence for international public policy debate.