Asialink and the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, present the 2025 Southeast Asia Oration, with Nobel Peace Prize winning journalist Maria Ressa.
Maria Ressa co-founded Rappler, the top digital only news site that is leading the fight for press freedom in the Philippines. As Rappler’s CEO, Maria has endured constant political harassment and arrests by the Duterte government, being forced to post bail ten times to stay free. For her courage and journalistic integrity, Maria has received numerous accolades. In October 2021, she was one of two journalists awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace”.
Expert panel:
Laura Tingle, the ABC’s Global Affairs Editor.
Nicholas Coppel, author of Myanmar’s Digital Coup and representative President of the Australia Myanmar Institute.
Dr Ken Setiawan, Senior Lecturer in Indonesian Studies at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne.
Moderator: Professor Michael Wesley, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global, Culture and Engagement), University of Melbourne.
Held annually, the Southeast Asia Oration invites a leading voice to discuss the evolving face of politics, society and the economy in our region.
The 2025 Southeast Asia Oration was hosted with support from the ASEAN-Australia Centre.
Read our special accompanying series of articles.
Images credit: Asialink.
