15 minutes in Canberra

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in foreign policy? Canberra is buzzing with seasoned foreign affairs and strategic policy experts, but for newcomers and mid-tier professionals, the ‘Canberra bubble’ can be tricky to navigate.

Join host Hayley Channer on the ground as she speaks with colleagues from government, academia, and the private sector, to bring you their unique policy insights and career advice in a neat 15 minutes.  

Based in Canberra, Australia, Hayley Channer is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre.

What’s so controversial about some islands in the Indian Ocean?

On 15 Minutes in Canberra, Hayley Channer interviews Sam Bashfield. Sam works for ANU’s National Security College and is a PhD candidate. His research focuses on Indian Ocean security issues, with a focus on the past, present and future of the Chagos Archipelago – which includes the island of Diego Garcia, a key strategic outpost of the UK and US.

Sam has also lived and worked in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, interning with the Jakarta Globe newspaper. Listen to this episode to receive a crash course in the sovereignty dispute embroiling Diego Garcia and other Indian Ocean islands as well as hear Sam’s insights on Indonesian society and Indonesia-Australia relations.