Errol Flynn was the first Australian to become a Hollywood icon. His portrayal of Robin Hood in 1938 is one of the most legendary performances on the silver screen. The US Library of Congress selected The Adventures of Robin Hood for preservation in the National Film Registry. From his childhood in Tasmania and London, to his time as a young adult in New Guinea, before he found fame in America, his personal story is as mesmerising as many of the roles he played. Flynn faced trial in 1943 for statutory rape charges and, while acquitted, the trial revealed the sexual trafficking of underage girls in Hollywood on a grand scale.

In her new book, Errol Flynn: The true story of Australia’s Hollywood icon, author Patricia O’Brien examines Flynn’s larger-than-life persona and reveals the story behind the well-cultivated Hollywood myths.

Who was Errol Flynn behind the silver screen? How did he pave the way for other Australians in Hollywood? How should we think about his legacy?

To discuss these questions, USSC was delighted to host a special book launch event featuring Dr Patricia O’Brien, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, in discussion with United States Studies Centre Senior Lecturer in American Studies Dr Aaron Nyerges.

In February 2026, the United States and Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, killing former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and triggering a wider conflict that now involves most of the Middle East. Missile strikes have killed hundreds of civilians across the region. The crisis has also caused severe economic disruption, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz driving up consumer prices globally. Governments around the world, including Australia, are now grappling with navigating one of the region's most destructive conflicts in years — and how its effects could reverberate across the Indo-Pacific.

• What does this mean for the Iranian people?
• What are the key US objectives and how may this end?
• What are the implications for Australia and the Indo-Pacific?

To answer these questions, USSC hosted a panel discussion with CEO Dr Michael Green, Founding Director of Australian United Solidarity for Iran Dr Rana Dadpour, and Barrister and member of the National Assembly of Iranian Jurists Faraz Maghami, in conversation with USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein.

The Quad partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the United States has emerged as major pillar of diplomatic architecture in the Indo-Pacific with a sweeping agenda from maritime cooperation to economic security and disaster relief. In 2025, two Quad Foreign Ministers Meetings helped consolidate a refreshed agenda between the four countries. However, the lack of a leaders-level summit under the second Trump administration and lingering challenges in the relationship between the US and Indian governments has left some observers uncertain about the future of the Quad in a new era of geopolitical upheaval.

The United States Studies Centre hosted this public event following a day of closed-door discussion at the second Quad Leadership Track-1.5 Dialogue. The panel discussed the regional challenges facing the four Quad countries and outlined key areas for cooperation, including on economic security, transnational security and critical technologies — as well as how to deepen the agenda beyond the Quad amongst other regional partners.

Panel of experts:

• USSC CEO Dr Michael Green
• USSC Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Dr Lavina Lee
• Center for Strategic and International Studies Senior Advisor and Australia Chair Dr Charles Edel
• Observer Research Foundation America Executive Director Dhruva Jaishankar

Moderated by Sydney Morning Herald Foreign Affairs and National Security Correspondent Matthew Knott.