The Australian Institute of Polish Affairs (AIPA) was founded in Australia in 1991 in order to foster relations between Poland and Australia. It is an independent, non-political, voluntary organisation that seeks to enhance current levels of Australian awareness of political, economic, social and cultural life in Poland today. Founded by leading members of the Polish Australian community, AIPA’s roots derive significantly from the Solidarity movement in Poland. As a result, AIPA remains strongly committed to contemporary values of democracy and liberty. Because Australia is home to a considerable community of Jews who themselves, or whose families, came to Australia from Poland, AIPA also strives to promote dialogue and reconciliation between Polish Christians and Jewish Australians.
Contents
- Media Truth Freedom and DemocracyWatch
- The Masterpieces of Polish Cinema Initiative
- AIPA and the Melbourne Writers Festival
- AIPA Quadrant Lectures
- AIPA Book Launches
- Notable Australians and AIPA
- Current and Past AIPA presidents
- References
To realise its core aims, AIPA has brought a significant number of leading Polish politicians, economists, activists, intellectuals as well as Polish and non-Polish experts on current Polish issues. (See below for a fuller list of AIPA guests). In conjunction with the visits, AIPA has arranged many lectures at leading Australian institutions and numerous public meetings with both Polish Australian and Jewish Australian communities (notably at the Melbourne Holocaust Centre and the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation). Furthermore, AIPA has consistently enabled direct encounters between its guests and influential Australians in government, media, the press, and education. In its early years, AIPA notably hosted Jan Karski, Jan Nowak-Jezioranski, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, and Adam Michnik. Prof. Norman Davies, world-leading historian of Poland, has also been one of AIPA’s eminent guests. AIPA has brought 4 former Polish Prime Ministers to Australia.
Media-Truth/ Freedom and Democracy/Watch
AIPA monitors and reacts to anti-Polish distortions in the Australian media and expresses concerns as to developments in Poland that might seem to run counter to contemporary notions of freedom and democracy.
The Masterpieces of Polish Cinema Initiative
In cooperation with Melbourne Cinemathèque and the Polish Consulate, AIPA has been instrumental in organising film seasons of the following distinguished Polish film directors: Andrzej Wajda(2008), Jerzy Skolimowski (2009), Krzysztof Zanussi (2010), Agnieszka Holland (2011), Wojciech Has and Andrzej Munk (2012), Jerzy Kawalerowicz (2015).
AIPA and the Melbourne Writers’ Festival
Respectively in 2000 and 2003, AIPA joined with the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in bringing Eva Hoffman and Timothy Garton-Ash to Australia. Further such cooperation is anticipated in the future.
AIPA-Quadrant Lectures
In the 1990’s, particularly at the time of Robert Manne’s editorship of Quadrant, a number of significant joint lectures were held in Melbourne.
AIPA Book Launches
1997 – book by Lech Paszkowski, “Paul Edmund de Strzelecki”, launched by the then Federal Minister for Immigration, Phillip Ruddock
2013 – book by John Williams and John Bond “Promise of Diversity. The Story of Jerzy Zubrzycki, architect of multicultural Australia”, by Malcolm Fraser, Prime Minister of Australia (1975-1983)
Notable Australians and AIPA
Gough Whitlam attended the AIPA 5th Anniversary dinner; Sir Ninian Stephens addressed the 10th 5th Anniversary dinner; Chris Wallace-Crabbe joined in an AIPA commemoration of Czeslaw Milosz. The Hon. Margaret Reid, President of Australian Senate delivered a presentation at AIPA’s AGM in 1997.
Current and Past AIPA presidents
Adam Warzel is the current president of AIPA. Past presidents include Profs. Jerzy Zubrzycki, Martin Krygier, Andrew S. Ehrenkreutz and Jan Pakulski.