Australian ambassador to US to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute Jan. 31

Kim Beazley, Australian ambassador to the United States, will give a presentation on the state and future of the two countries’ alliance Jan. 31 at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. This free public event is hosted by the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies.

KIM BEAZLEY

Beazley’s presentation on “Australia and the United States: The Alliance in the 21st Century” will be from noon to 1 p.m. in Baker Hall’s Doré Commons. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. Baker Institute Founding Director Edward Djerejian will provide introductory remarks.

Beazley was appointed Australia’s ambassador to the U.S. in 2010. He previously served as chancellor of the Australian National University from July 2008 to December 2009 and was the Winthrop Professor in the University of Western Australia’s Department of Politics and International Relations. He served as Australia’s deputy prime minister (1995-1996), leader of the Australian Labor Party (1996-2001) and leader of the opposition (2005-2006). He was elected to the Federal Parliament of Australia in 1980 and represented the electorates of Swan (1980-1996) and Brand (1996-2007). He served on various parliamentary committees, including the Joint Intelligence Committee and the Joint Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Committee. Beazley was a minister in the Bob Hawke and Paul Keating governments (1983-1996) and held, at various times, the portfolios of defense, finance, transport and communications, employment education and training, aviation and special minister of state.

To view the event information, visit http://bakerinstitute.org/events/1558. A live webcast will be available at http://bakerinstitute.org/webcasts.