Australia has agreed to a U.S. request to help fly arms and munitions to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters battling Islamic State insurgents in northern Iraq, joining a coalition being assembled by Washington to mount what Prime Minister Tony Abbott called "humanitarian missions."  

Much of Dorney's reporting about the Pacific has been aimed at an audience in the Pacific, a service Australia provided to foster good will in the region and a sense of community. Now that voice is lost to the airways. Dorney's job is one of dozens axed from the ABC in the wake of the Abbott government's decision to squeeze the broadcaster's budget and cancel the $223 million contract for the overseas television service, Australia Network.

A couple of weeks ago you may remember I brought to you the story of 20 international delegates from countries in Asia, Africa and South America who were visiting Central Queensland to see how we manage the social and environmental impact of mining.

If there is one thing that most Australians, from across the political spectrum, can agree upon it is that foreign policy has emerged as one of the key strengths of the Coalition Government lead by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his team. The energetic and creative leadership of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and the Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb was demonstrated most recently with the launch of the Coalition's Economic Diplomacy policy at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.

International volunteering can challenge prevailing models of development, according to a new report by the Australian Red Cross which has called on the Federal Government to grow international volunteer programs with sustainable funding.  The report said international volunteering contributes greatly to a legitimate and sustainable development process, above and beyond public diplomacy.

"We know our performances are a fantastic way for people to demonstrate their connections to lead politicians in both countries and to forge relationships at a cultural diplomacy level. We have a five-year vision and we would like some people who want to be part of that journey," she says. Tours are expensive for the company that, with a turnover of A$50 million (about HK$361 million), receives just 16.3 per cent of its funding from state and federal governments. 

Australia will reserve more than 2,000 places in its refugee program for Syrians, at the same time as it tries to return Syrians held in offshore detention to the country the immigration minister describes as “in the midst of a terrible conflict”. Syrian refugees will have 2,200 places set aside within the Special Humanitarian Program (SHP), which takes in refugees who can prove they already have a connection to Australia.

Australia and Russia have been engaging in a war of words over the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. The rhetoric is of course a minor part of the larger ongoing propaganda war over the way in which the crisis in Ukraine is perceived globally. Still, in addition to sanctions, Russia and Australia have continued to trade some particularly pointed remarks in recent weeks.