Australia, Indonesia make ‘remarkable’ progress towards binding defence pact amid calls for ‘collective responsibility’

Albanese says Australia is seeking to enhance ties with Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea

On China, he says Australia adopts a ‘patient, calibrated and deliberate approach’ regarding their disagreements

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivers the 2023 Lowy Lecture at the Sydney Town Hall on Tuesday. Photo: dpa

Published: 9:11pm, 19 Dec 2023Updated: 9:27am, 20 Dec 2023

Australia is making “remarkable progress” towards a new binding defence agreement with Indonesia, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as it seeks to add to a growing list of bilateral security deals with countries in the region.

Delivering the Lowy Lecture in Sydney on Tuesday, Albanese said that alongside Southeast Asia, Australia would also be building on its long-standing economic and security ties with Japan and South Korea.

Earlier this year, Canberra and Jakarta had agreed to elevate their existing “Defence Cooperation Arrangement” to one that was “binding under international law”.

There had been few details about the progress of negotiations since but defence minister Richard Marles had said the new agreement would increase dialogue and “enhance practical arrangements” and both nations would negotiate on reciprocal access to training ranges and streamlined entry and exit processes for joint activities.

“This is something [Indonesian] President [Joko] Widodo and I have discussed on a number of occasions … this new agreement will be binding under international law, elevating our defence partnership and enabling new ways for us to work together,” Albanese said.

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