up the Opportunities offered by businesses across the

region. Just as compelling are the social and cultural

benets ofenabling people to communicate with peoplefrom other backgrounds. A strong command of languageallows listeners to far better understand differences inculture; to understand not just what is said, but why.

if we want Australia to have a place at the table in the

Asian Century to even understand the opportunities

available - we will need to adjust our Asian language

competence from a level suitable for backpackers to one

that fits the boardroom.While we agree that it would be a good thing for more

Australians to speak Mandarin, Hindi or Vietnamese, it

is also vital to take a hardheaded look at the reasonsbehind the low takeup ofsuch languages. Such an analysis

should take into account the basic economic principle that

acquiring a language is not costless, and recognise that

for our nation, Asian language study is an investment in

a safer, affluent and more engaged nation.Fourth, we should increase the Asia literacy of our

politicians. At the federal level, we can be proud to have

some parliamentarians of Asian descent, who speakAsian languages, and who have lived in Asia. But thereis more work to be done to ensure that our politicianscontinue to look like the electorate. Too few membersof parliament are absorbed in Asian art and literature,and too few travel regularly in our region. There areplenty of parliamentarians who follow every twist andturn of United States or United Kingdom politics, and

but not enough who understand party politics in India

and Malaysia.

Australia must focus its diplomatic anddevelopment capacity on encouraging Asian

nations to harness their growth for the benefit oftheir own populations, the region and the world.

Fifth, we should engage our neighbours in trade, aid

and diplomacy. As Hugh Whites provocative QuarterlyEssay has illustrated, the rise of China creates signicantchallenges for Australia. We do not believe that Australiashould resile from our deeply-held support for Openmarkets and open societies. Allowing the Renminbi to

rise to an appropriate level would be good for Chinese

consumers, as it would increase their buying power and

help to curtail domestic inflation. Encouraging China

to deliver more of its foreign aid through multilateral

institutions would help donor coordination and poverty

reduction.Similarly, while the Association of SouthEast Asian

Nations (ASEAN) has built a strong and generallyprogressive community of nations, its policy of non-

intervention in national affairs must not be used as an

excuse for social reforms to languish. Australia must focus

its diplomatic and development capacity on encouraging

Asian nations to harness their growth for the benet of

their own populations, the region and the world.

Issues in Society I Volume 350

Andrew Leigh is the memberfor Fraser(ACT). Prior to his

election in 2010, he was a professor in the Research Schoolof Economics at the Australian National University, andhas previously worked as associate to justice Michael Kirbyofthe High Court of/iustralia, a lawyerfor Clifford Chance(London), and a resea rcherfor the Progressive Policy Institute(Washington DC). He holds a PhDfrom Harvard Universityand has published three books and over 50 journal articles.His latest book, Disconnected , is published by UNSWPress.

Lisa Singh is a Labor Senator for Tasmania. She is the

former convenor of the Australian Republican MovementTasmanian Branch, and was a Tasmanian Government

Minister from 2oo8-2oro.

This article draws on the author's submission to the

Asian Century White Paper, and was originally publishedin The Canberra Times on 26 April 2012.

2012 Andrew Leigh and Lisa Singh. Posted 30 April 2012.On Line Opinion I wWW.0nline0pinion.com.au

Australia's Engagement with Asia