The 2023 Australian American Leadership Dialogue (AALD) Forum was held at Australian Parliament House Canberra, Australia from 10 to 12 August. The theme for the 2023 Forum in Canberra was: “A Partnership of First Movers”.
The United States and Australia face a turbulent world: geopolitical turbulence from war in Europe and the rise of Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific; economic turbulence from energy price shocks and a global economy still reeling from a once-in-a-century pandemic; and technological turbulence from disruptive innovations that hold both promise and peril.
Such challenges are best faced together—and then faced jointly with other regional and global democracies. We have an unparalleled opportunity to fashion broader, stronger, and multi-layered partnerships. Together, we can extend the U.S.-Australia alliance to new frontiers that both meet these diverse challenges and preserve and enhance our democratic way of life.
The 2023 AALD Forum in Canberra explored these issues, not just to consolidate this unique partnership but to foster and advance new ways that Australia and the United States can be first-movers to create solutions to these pressing Indo-Pacific challenges.
There was a high level of enthusiasm and participation by all delegates, a comprehensive program was presented across three streams with 237 delegates participating.
Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, hosted the US delegation, AALD Partners and VIP guests at a reception at his official residence, the Lodge, before an official welcome dinner at the National Arboretum.
AALD CEO and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon Tony Smith, and current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Milton Dick MP, welcomed the delegates to Parliament House and opened the dialogue.
