In 1988 Murdoch University solidified its global research strengths with the establishment of the Asia Research Centre (ARC). Murdoch’s location on the west coast of Australia was seen as an ideal location from which to provide distinctive insights into the changes and challenges of the local region. 

The Asia Research Centre’s first annual report acknowledged the importance of Australia playing an active role in the region stating, “The challenge for Australia in the coming decades is to ensure that we secure a place in an increasingly important Asia-Pacific region culturally and politically, as well as in trade and investment.” 

In 1991, Asia was in the middle of a dramatic economic transformation and Australia was in the middle of a deep recession. Better understanding of the rapid changes taking place in Asia was a central government and private sector concern.  

It remains one of Murdoch’s significant research coups that a team of young researchers recognised the opportunity of the political climate and was successful in obtaining a Special Research Centre Grant from the Australian Research Council to establish the ARC as a Special Centre of the Australian Research Council. It was one of only two federally funded Special Research Centres on Asia in Australia. 

This Special Research Centre Grant was the first awarded in the social sciences and humanities, and the size of the grant, more than $6 million over nine years, was unheard of outside of traditional sciences at the time. 

The Australian Research Council funding lasted for nine years, the maximum period allowed, with the central projects at the Centre at this time including the impact of the emerging middle classes upon the social, economic and political environments of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the implications of the financial crises.  

Eminent scholars including Richard Robison, Krishna Sen, David Hill, Garry Rodan, Kevin Hewison, Caroline Hughes, Vedi Hadiz, Jane Hutchison, Carol Warren and Kanishka Jayasuriya played a central role at the ARC. Their work enabled cross cultural exploration of key issues in the changing society, culture, politics and economics of Southeast Asia.

Some of these scholars went developed an approach to understanding the region that their graduate students, such as Shahar Hamieri, would go on to refer to as “the Murdoch school of social conflict theory”. The ARC was also renowned for its work on history led by scholars such as Jim Warren and Sandra Wilson whose expansive research contributed significantly to the way the region understands its past.

Image: Asia Research Centre's Dr Richard Robison, Dean and Associate Professor in Southeast Asian Studies; Krishna Sen, Lecturer in Communication Studies, School of Humanities at Murdoch University and Indonesian journalist Mochtar Lubis visiting the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University in March 1990.

Once this funding period ended, the Asia Research Centre faced the double challenge of developing new strategies to maintain its role as an internationally recognised leader in contemporary Asia research and having to seek alternate income.  

The Asia Research Centre was reconstituted in 2002 as a divisional centre at Murdoch University. There was a renewed focus on producing high quality academic research publications for international and domestic audiences, fostering the development of high-quality research graduates and continuing to contribute constructively to public policy debate and public understanding on issues concerning contemporary Asia. 

From 2003, changing relations between Australia and the region brought new issues onto the policy agenda. Poverty in the region; the impact of environmental pressures on livelihoods and ecosystems in Asia; and security and counter-terrorism in Southeast Asia (which emerged as a question of urgent concern following the Bali bombings of 2002), became priorities.  

The strong postgraduate program remained, with the Centre becoming an intellectual community of staff and students together, where ideas were shared and debated regularly, both formally and informally.  

The Centre’s library hosted lively lunchtime gatherings, providing staff and students the opportunity to learn about each other’s research interests in an informal environment. More formally, the Asia Research Centre had a successful and well-attended postgraduate seminar series, with every student required to present their work to fellow students and academic staff at least three times throughout their candidature.  

By 2023, it became clear that Murdoch could offer even more. Murdoch’s new Indo-Pacific Research Centre (IPRC) was announced.  

Image: Launch of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre

At the time of announcement, Associate Professor Rochelle Spencer, from Murdoch’s School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences explained the change. 

“Across Australia there is a striking absence of Indo-Pacific research concentration, despite the demand by major government and multi-lateral agencies for understanding the region and its significance for development, governance, and security,” Associate Professor Spencer said. 

“We’re well positioned to tackle important questions of socio-economic development, geo-strategic governance and human security in the region.” 

Murdoch’s Indo-Pacific Research Centre opened in 2023 with a colourful launch featuring drums, music and performances representative of the region.  

Image: Launch of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta

The IPRC is building on the Asia Research Centre’s international reputation for high-impact research and PhD training, with the added strengths of Murdoch’s Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines, Murdoch’s Africa Research Group and the Centre for Responsible Citizenship and Sustainability. 

The Centre aims to be the leading centre for research expertise in the region, responding to key challenges of the 21st century arising from transformations in the Indo-Pacific.   

Indo Pacific Research Centre inaugural Director Professor Jacqueline Lo said it was clear governments and other agencies from all over the world were looking for research-based insights to improve their understanding of the rapidly changing landscape in the Indo-Pacific. 

This was demonstrated by a visit from the United Kingdom’s Minister for State (Indo-Pacific) Anne-Marie Trevelyan in December 2023, for a policy dialogue on current and emerging challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region. 

The visit by Minister Trevelyan is testament to the quality of our researchers in the Indo Pacific Research Centre and the insights and expertise they can provide to governments on the challenges and opportunities emerging from this growing and dynamic region.

Professor Lo

The IPRC visited Southeast Asia in July 2024 to deepen its links with research partners, stakeholders and government officials. The visit also included launching the Centre at the Murdoch University’s Singapore campus where the Centre will have a permanent base, and at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. 
 
Looking forward the Indo Pacific Research Centre will continue to engage with the significant challenges of our century and to advance the understanding of political, economic, socio-cultural and environmental issues in the Indo-Pacific region for the benefit of our country, region and global community.