Australia seems intent on missing a vital opportunity to win the hearts and minds of our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific, particularly Southeast Asia, through its continued refusal to guarantee ongoing funding for transnational news services in the region.
Since the second world war, Australia has provided news services across this geopolitically significant region. Its first incarnation was as a propaganda service promoting the interests of Australia and the British Empire. Later it became a trusted public news service via the national broadcaster, the ABC, and its international arms, Radio Australia and Australia Television.
