US Senator John McCain will visit Australia this month at the invitation of the United States Studies Centre to give a major foreign policy speech. Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Republican Party's nominee for the 2008 presidential election, Senator McCain will deliver the Centre’s Alliance 21 Lecture to a public audience on May 30 in Sydney. It will be his first visit to Australia in more than a decade.

The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney was founded in 2006 to deepen Australia’s understanding of the United States and strengthen the relationship between our two countries. It educates more than a thousand students annually, conducts public policy research, and maintains an active public outreach program. The Centre’s Alliance 21 Program, led by James Brown, is focused on navigating future policy challenges and opportunities for the Australian-US alliance in an evolving Asia.

The Centre's CEO Professor Simon Jackman said that the senator's address provides a timely reminder of both the longevity of Australia's relationship with the United States, and its ongoing importance.

"Senator McCain has been a long-time, passionate advocate of the US-Australia relationship, and a leading voice on America’s role in the world. His address on US alliances comes at a pivotal moment for our alliance and Asia," Jackman said.

Senator McCain served in the United States Navy until 1981. He was elected to the US House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982, and elected to the United States Senate in 1986.

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Media enquiries

Stephanie Dunstan
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Drew Sheldrick
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E drew.sheldrick@sydney.edu.au