What is sports diplomacy and why is it important to Australia’s foreign policy? 

What is the rationale behind the PNG-Australia rugby league deal?  

How are sporting events being weaponised to undermine social cohesion or reflect geopolitical tensions?  

In this episode, Bianca Birdsall and Stuart Murray join David Andrews to discuss the role of sport as it relates to Australia’s national security – in diplomacy, foreign policy, and as a vector for insecurity, violence, crime, and societal unrest.  

Bianca Birdsall is a Senior Advisor at the ANU National Security College (NSC), on secondment from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  

Dr Stuart Murray is an Associate Professor in International Relations and Diplomacy at Bond University.   

David Andrews is a Senior Policy Advisor at NSC.  

Show notes  

• ADF-run sports program in Fiji 
• First Nations netball team   
• First Nations netball Coaching Course  
• PNG NRL team $600m deal 

We’d love to hear from you! Send in your questions, comments, and suggestions to NatSecPod@anu.edu.au. You can tweet us @NSC_ANU and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. The National Security Podcast is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. 

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