Preview of the foreign policy debate?

In response to an earlier post in which I mentioned tomorrow's foreign policy election debate, reader Andrew Robertson alerts me to the fact that Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop have already gone head-to-head in this campaign. On 3 August they debated for 20 minutes on ABC Radio in Perth.

Thanks Andrew, I had missed this, though as you suggested in your email, I wasn't missing much. Foreign policy is barely raised, and the tone of the debate is petty and small-minded. It's not a good sign for tomorrow.

What I'll be looking for tomorrow is whether Smith and Bishop can rise to the challenge Rory sets out in his post below. Australia faces some huge challenges in a region that is changing rapidly. I want to know how our two major parties plan to navigate that change.