The Lowy Institute is an independent

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

founded in April 2003 by

Frank Lowy Sir Frank P. Lowy ( ; born 22 October 1930) is an Australian-Israeli businessman of Jewish Slovakian-Hungarian origins and the former long-time Chairman of Westfield Corporation, a global shopping centre company with billion of assets under ...

to conduct original, policy-relevant research about international political, strategic and economic issues from an Australian perspective. It is based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. While the institute has alternatively been described as "neoliberal","Lowy Institute,"

SourceWatch The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. CMD publishes ExposedbyCMD.org, SourceWatch.org, and ALECexposed.org. History CMD was founded in 1993 by prog ...

. Retrieved 26 December 2019 "centre-right" leaningBarro, Christiane
"The think tanks shaping Australia The Lowy Institute,"
''

The New Daily ''The New Daily'' is an online, non-paywalled, Australian newspaper founded in 2013 The founding editor is Bruce Guthrie, currently the editorial director (as at the beginning of June 2019), who was formerly the Editor-in-Chief of the ''Herald ...

,'' retrieved 26 December 2019 or "reactionary",Green, Jim
"The Lowy Institute's dangerous nuclear propaganda,"
28 December 2012, "Online Opinion"

Friends of the Earth Australia Friends of the Earth (FoE) Australia is a federation of independent local groups working for a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable future. It believes that pursuing environmental protection is inseparable from broader social conc ...

. Retrieved 26 December 2019 officially, its research and analysis aim to be non-partisan, and its active program of conferences, seminars and other events are designed to inform and deepen the debate about international policy in Australia and to help shape the broader international discussion of these issues."What We Do,"
Lowy Institute. Retrieved 26 December 2019

History and activity

Founding and funding

Based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, the Lowy Institute was founded in 2003 by Slovakian-born, Australian-Israeli billionaire businessman Sir

. Lowy, a veteran of the 1947–1949 Palestine war, and close associate of two former Israeli prime ministers, emigrated to Australia and founded

Westfield Corporation Westfield Corporation was an Australian commercial real estate company and operator of shopping centres. It was founded with the spin-off of the Westfield Group in 2014, where assets in Australia and New Zealand formed the Scentre Group and ...

, a global shopping centre company; he retains a key role in various shopping centres in Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. In 2003, Lowy reportedly endowed the institute with a donation sufficient to fund the first eight years of its operation. His family continues to play a key role in the institute, with at least four "Lowy"-named people on the Board of Directors. The institute registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, in 2012, as the "Lowy Institute For International Policy", and by 2019 was reporting over $12 million in revenues (including over $2 million from government), and over $9 million in expenses."Lowy Institute For International Policy,"
Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Retrieved 26 December 2019 The institute receives funds from the Australian government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Defence, and the Department of Home Affairs. Companies which provide funding include

BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

, Capital Group,

Rio Tinto Rio Tinto, meaning "red river", may refer to: Businesses * Rio Tinto (corporation), an Anglo-Australian multinational mining and resources corporation ** Rio Tinto Alcan, based in Canada ** Rio Tinto Borax in America *** Rio Tinto Borax Mine, ...

, and

Rothschild & Co Rothschild & Co is a multinational investment bank and financial services company, and the flagship of the Rothschild banking group controlled by the French and British branches of the Rothschild family. The banking business of the firm covers th ...

. The institute has also been funded by donations from the investment management firm, Manikay Partners; from a global accounting and professional services firm:

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewat ...

; and from a former Australian diplomat and cabinet secretary,

Michael Thawley Michael Joseph Thawley, (born 16 April 1950)Richard McGregor, "Washington-bound", ''Weekend Australian'', 11–12 December 1999, p. 24 was a senior Australian public servant. From December 2014 to January 2016 he was Secretary of the Departmen ...

(with his wife Deborah).

Activity

Overview

The institute publishes polls, white papers and rankings on various international affairs subjects—particularly regarding Australia and the Asia-Pacific region—and advocates for a proactive and globally engaged Australian foreign policy. It hosts conferences, seminars and other events. Its annual Lowy Lecture is the institute's "signature event", where a "prominent individual", from Australia or abroad, comments on Australia's global role and on global influences on Australia. The institute has hosted presentations by every Australian prime minister since 2003, as well as the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Secretary General,

U.S The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, Vice-President Joe Biden,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

prime minister

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

, and various other Australian and foreign leaders.Stoltenberg, Jens (

Secretary General
"Remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Lowy Institute (Sydney),"
, 7 August 2019,

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. Retrieved 26 December 2019 The institute commonly meets and interacts with Australian officials, and with visiting international leaders, and is a source of influence on Australian government. The resulting internal and external computer activity, including email traffic, which could be of interest to foreign powers, is credited with attracting information-harvesting

cyber attack A cyberattack is any offensive maneuver that targets computer information systems, computer networks, infrastructures, or personal computer devices. An attacker is a person or process that attempts to access data, functions, or other restricted ...

s on the institute, during and before 2012—comparable to similar attacks against U.S. think tanks. The attacks were generally attributed to China.Grigg, Angus and Nick McKenzie
"Lowy Institute hit by Chinese hackers,"
3 December 2018, '' Australian Financial Review,'' retrieved 26 December 2019

Research programs

* East Asia * International Security * Pacific Islands * West Asia * International Economy * Diplomacy and Public Opinion

Website

The institute's website offers publications for free download. In 2006 the regular talks began to be recorded and made available on the website. The Lowy Institute launched a blog ''The Interpreter'' in November 2007. According to former Executive Director Allan Gyngell: "it aims to provide you with fresh insights into international events and a new way to engage with the Institute." Lowy Institute also developed analytical tool Asia Power Index. This tool allows changes in the global distribution of power. Countries can be compared on the basis of which measures eight types of power: military capability, defense networks, economic resources, economic relationships, diplomatic influence, cultural influence, resilience and future resources.

Lowy Poll

The annual Lowy Poll surveys a nationally representative sample of the adult Australian population on foreign policy issues and is the Lowy Institute's flagship publication. It is wholly funded by the Lowy Institute and its results are widely cited in the Australian and international media. The Lowy Institute has also conducted opinion polling in Indonesia, New Zealand and China. The first Lowy Poll was in 2005.

Leadership and staff

Board of Directors

The institute's board comprises Australian policy makers and business people. *

AC – Lowy Institute founder and chairman; co-founder,

Westfield Group Westfield Group was an Australian shopping centre company that existed from 1960 to 2014, when it split into two independent companies: Scentre Group, which owns and operates the Australian and New Zealand Westfield shopping centre portfolio ...

* David Gonski AC – Chairman of Australian and New Zealand Banking Group and Coca-Cola Amatil Limited * Joanna Hewitt AO * Sir Angus Houston AK, AC, AFC * Martin Indyk – Diplomat; former

United States ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

* David Lowy AM * Peter Lowy – Group managing director of the Westfield Group * Steven Lowy AM – Group managing director of the Westfield Group * Ian Macfarlane – Former Governor of the

Reserve Bank of Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority. It has had this role since 14 January 1960, when the ''Reserve Bank Act 1959'' removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank. Th ...

* Mark Ryan – Company director * The Hon James Spigelman AC * The Hon Penny Wensley AC

Notable staff

* Michael Fullilove, Executive Director

Former staff

* Michael Wesley, Executive Director (2009–2012)

Criticism

The format of the 2011 Lowy Institute Poll was considered inadequate for formulating Australian policy compared to studies undertaken by CSIRO,

Ipsos Ipsos Group S.A. () (an acronym of ) is a multinational market research and consulting firm with headquarters in Paris, France. The company was founded in 1975 by Didier Truchot, Chairman of the company, and has been publicly traded on the P ...

-Eureka, Cardiff University, Stanford University, and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. In 2012, the institute was criticized by Jim Green, national nuclear campaigner of

, alleging that the institute ran "a disgraceful propaganda campaign" to advocate for Australian

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

sales to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, in contravention of Australia's longstanding policy of refusing to sell uranium to nations who did not join the

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation ...

(NPT).

References

External links

Lowy Institute
*
The Interpreter
' {{Authority control Think tanks based in Australia Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in Australia Organisations based in Sydney Think tanks established in 2003 2003 establishments in Australia