The 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper committed the Australian Government to develop new approaches on soft power. The White Paper defines soft power as the ability to influence the behaviour or thinking of others through the power of attraction and ideas.

The Soft Power Review was launched in August 2018 with a call for public submissions. The Review received more than 130 submissions and held consultations in state and territory capitals and several regional centres, concluding in late 2018. The Department thanks those Australians who participated in this conversation about Australia’s soft power.

Following the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Government concluded that we should not continue with a review process that was no longer as relevant to the significantly changed global environment. The Review was discontinued in October 2020.

Pursuing Australia’s interests during the COVID-19 response, the economic recovery and as we enter a post-COVID era will required a focused, deliberate effort integrating all tools of statecraft, including Australia’s considerable soft power.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will take into account the input gathered during the review as we work with partners to maximise our soft power impact in a more challenging global environment.