It is a great pleasure to be here at the AIIA.

To draw together the last three years that I have had the privilege of leading Australia’s foreign policy in the Albanese Labor Goverment, focusing on our priorities of the region, relationships adn the rules.

And to look ahead,on resilience becoming an even more critical priority,as Australia builds our future in an ever less stable world.

I want to start with the historic events of the past week.

The conclusion of negotiations on a Treaty on Common security with Indonesia is a volume in the story of our two nations – taking our cooperation to a higher level, acting together to secure peace and stability for our nations and the region.

It is the biggest step in the strengthening of our partnership since the Soeharto-Keating Agreement on Maintaining Security.

It reflects our close friendship, deep trust and shared aspiration.

This has been Labor’s approach to Indonesia. Labor has always understood that Australia’s future is in our region.

From the very beginning, when Chifley and Evatt provided such crucial support to Indonesian independence, to Whitlam announcing his commitment to improving relations with Indonesia at his campaign launch in 1972.

It was the next Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who said in Jakarta:

“To neglect any opportunity to remove misunderstandings and to strengthen the foundations of agreement would be a dereliction of our duty to both our peoples and a denial of their common destiny in the region, which binds us together indissolubly as neighbours forever.”

Bound together, as neighbours – a sentiment celebrated by Prime Minister Albanese on his first bilateral visit three years ago.

The Prime Minister spoke of the sea routes and trade between the people of Makassar and the First Nations people of northern Australia.

Labor’s foreign policy may begin with our understanding of the future we share with our region…

…But for centuries, the peoples of our lands have understood our shared destinies and have understood the value of cooperation.

The Yolngu people in Arnhem Land built their dugout canoes using the metal axes of Indonesian fishermen.

And the sails of Makassan vessels are immortalised in the art of the Yolngu people. 

These connections predate us all, and strike an even more poignant note this week, as our agreement marks a new era.

I start with Indonesia because it illustrates the approach we take to our region.

We can all see our world is becoming less certain and less stable. More people are displaced. More people are hungry. There is more conflict – in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere.

Australia will always make our contribution, as part of multilateral efforts to protect civilians and uphold international law – because living in peace shouldn’t be contingent on where you were born.

Having said that, our overriding duty as a middle power of the Indo-Pacific is to support peace, stability and prosperity in this region.The Indo-Pacific is where the world’s future is most being shaped.

It is where we have the most on the line.

It is where we can have the most effect.

From our first day in office, when the Prime Minister and I flew to Japan to meet with the Quad, from my first trip to the Pacific Islands Forum and the Prime Minister’s first bilateral visit to Indonesia, the region has been our focus.After what some might call a mixed decade, we had a pretty big job to do.

We needed to reassure the region of our commitment – our intent. 

In my first year as Foreign Minister, I travelled to every Pacific Islands Forum member and all the countries of ASEAN, other than Myanmar.

The Prime Minister has always said that we are not here to occupy the space.

That goes for our foreign policy. That goes for Australia in our region.

We don’t just live here.

We aren’t

Australia’s Approach to Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific Region

Australia is actively deepening its engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, demonstrated by the early success that one in four transactions supported by Export Finance Australia are now in Southeast Asia. Beyond trade and investment, Australia is leveraging the expertise of institutions like CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology to support energy system planning, resilient transport infrastructure, and the clean energy transition in the region.

A collaborative project is underway with timor-Leste, the Northern Territory Government, and indigenous land holders to improve power access in remote communities. Similarly, in the Pacific, Australia prioritises listening, consulting, and responding to Pacific priorities with respect, actively rebuilding relationships and restoring trust after a period of perceived disregard for climate science and Pacific concerns.

Australia’s commitment to the Pacific is demonstrated through initiatives like the Cyber RAPID response program, which restores critical services after cyber-attacks, and DFAT/ADF humanitarian operations responding to natural disasters. Addressing food insecurity is also a priority, with ACIAR sharing Australian expertise in growing food in changing climates. Australia is actively tackling climate change through strong domestic commitments, rejoining the Green Climate fund, and investing in the Pacific Resilience Facility, driving efforts to host COP with the Pacific family to elevate regional voices on global climate action.

All Pacific engagement prioritises Pacific leadership, exemplified by support for the Pacific Policing Initiative and the establishment of the Pacific Response Group, alongside arrangements like the Status of Forces Agreement with Fiji and enhanced maritime security cooperation. Despite a global reduction in growth assistance, Australia remains a reliable partner, dedicating 75 cents of every Australian development dollar to the Indo-Pacific, prioritising targeted, high-impact investments that build resilience and back local solutions. Support is also directed towards those in greatest need, including humanitarian crises and displaced Rohingyas in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Looking beyond the Pacific, Australia views India as a crucial partner, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong anticipating her 26th meeting with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. Australia’s approach to regional relationships is defined by listening rather than imposing, and consulting rather than controlling, fostering common ground through shared challenges and collaborative solutions.

The United States remains Australia’s closest ally and principal economic and strategic partner, with its security guarantee and investment playing a vital role in regional stability and prosperity. Australia has successfully navigated changes in the US management, reaffirming confidence through partnerships like AUKUS, Quad Foreign Ministers’ meetings, and the bilateral framework on critical minerals and rare earths.

The Rules That Matter

even as longstanding institutions and rules are undermined and broken, the system still sets expectations for behavior, and provides organising principles for cooperation.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine demonstrates what is at stake in standing up to aggressors – an assault on sovereignty that we cannot allow to set a successful precedent.

Supporting the rules is not merely a defensive interest that we have.

The rules are also a vital avenue for Australia to prosecute what matters to us.

You can consider how Australia has worked to exercise our rights under international law, to operate in the South China Sea or to transit the Taiwan Strait.

Or how we have led the Declaration on the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel, standing with more than 100 countries to say that we must protect those who risk everything to help others during conflict.

Australia is continuing to negotiate free trade agreements,enable regional integration through APEC and as chair of the CPTPP,and support reform of the World Trade Association.

We are supporting capacity development in the Indian Ocean on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and have led efforts to set up the landmark High Seas Treaty.

We are sanctioning North Korean entities for funding its illegal weapons programs. We are urging progress on the Fissile Material Cut off Treaty.

My point is that these rules matter, not just to keep us safe.

They do not only defend and deter,but they are an avenue to promote and persuade.

Despite the importance of these rules and norms, we know that they have not evolved to keep pace with new and emerging threats.

Many of the benefits of modernisation have the potential to be weaponised, and wielded as measures short of war that threaten our region and our democracy.

Disinformation, interference, transnational repression, cyberattacks and the unregulated use of AI are just some of the modern challenges placing greater pressure on societies like Australia.

We are witness to a collapse of truth altogether.False voices. Fabricated images. Manufactured narratives.

Algorithms amplifying fiction masquerading as fact.

And we certainly know that others seek to influence our democracy and tear at the fabric of our cohesion – using these tools and more. Trust in institutions is declining and intolerance is growing.

At the same time, our economic security must evolve as some states weaponise trade and undermine supply chains.

In the face of these challenges, resilience is a priority domain for government, and for a foreign minister – along with the region, relationships and the rules.

The strength of our democracy and the trust in our institutions are central to navigating a world that is more divided, more contested and more insecure.

So is our economic strength – to influence, to engage, and to resource the strategic action that we need to take – including the investments in military capability to underwrite our diplomatic efforts.

Our whole of nation efforts to build resilience must continue at pace.

We must protect our institutions against external and internal pressures, and I want to particularly commend the efforts of Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce and the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce.

We must maintain our social cohesion while we navigate divergent views – understanding that our diversity strengthens us at home and also enables us to find common ground with so much of the world.

We must protect our young people from the pervasive pull of social algorithms, which is why the Albanese government has legislated to delay access to social media until the age