The Australia-Papua New Guinea Emerging Leaders Dialogue is the flagship annual event of the Aus-PNG Network at the Lowy Institute. It brings together 20 young leaders from PNG and Australia to explore pressing development and security issues affecting PNG-Australia relations. The program includes exchanges with experts, dialogues with leading academics and policymakers, opportunities for networking, site visits, and interactive learning activities over five days.

This year, participants will examine the theme of First Nations Foreign Policy and what it means for Australia-Papua New Guinea relations through a broad range of discussions across economic development, politics and society, business, sport, arts, and social media. Participants will have the opportunity to shape and identify the topics for discussion under the ‘First Nations’ theme. We will hone participant speaking, media engagement and written communication skills.

Participants will be drawn from a range of experience, expertise and industry and society groups. We are interested in emerging leaders with a strong vision for shaping the future. In previous years, the Dialogue has provided insight into topics including health, leadership, economic empowerment, art, politics, and civil society.

The 2023 Emerging Leaders Dialogue will be held in Queensland from 16 to 20 October.

Participants’ insights are documented in an outcomes paper, which is forwarded to the two countries’ Foreign Ministers and is published on the Network’s website.  

The 2023 Emerging Leaders Dialogue has concluded.

Applicants must:

• Be a citizen or permanent resident of either Papua New Guinea or Australia;
• Hold a passport, if applying as a Papua New Guinean citizen or resident; 
• Be fully Covid-19 vaccinated;
• Be aged 40 years or younger at 1 December in the year of application; and 
• Be able to demonstrate personal qualities and attributes to contribute to a stronger relationship between PNG and Australia.