The next Melbourne Salon  on the Referendum in New Caledonia will be held at the State Library Victoria at 5:30pm on Thursday 8 November 2018. 

On 4 November , New Caledonians will vote on a referendum to decide whether their Overseas French Department will remain French or become independent. Two experts in this field, Professor Robert Aldrich and Ms Denise Fisher will explain the background and history on France and its role in the Pacific, which led up to this vote. They will also elaborate on what this outcome means for New Caledonia, France and Australia.

Robert Aldrich has published extensively on the French presence in the South Pacific since 1842 and on the history of France’s international expansion. He is a recipient of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Denise Fisher is a former senior Australian diplomat, who has served as Australia’s High Commissioner in Zimbabwe and Consul-General in Noumea. She is currently Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for European Studies, and a Chevalier in the French National Order of Merit.

The event is free, but to register your attendance, please click here.