That the Australian economy is now inex- tricably tied to Asia is a fact that can no longer be contested. Our economic future clearly lies within the Asian region. Over the past four decades, a number of reports, dating back to the Fitzgerald Report (1978) and the Garnaut Report (1989), have shown how this is so. These reports have not only provided many examples of the growing links in trade and investment between Aus- tralia and Asia but have also pointed to their considerable potentialities. In 2012, the Henry White Paper, Australia in the Asian Century, described the growing footprint of Australian businesses, investors and entrepre- neurs across the region, and explored how Australia might further take advantage of the opportunities associated with the so-called ‘Asian century’. The current Government has similarly spoken of the importance of deep- ening our economic, political and cultural ties with Asia, and has established several initiatives to enhance these ties, including free trade treaties and the New Colombo Plan.
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