This Week in Australian Foreign Affairs, the Australian Government’s reiterated commitments to stability and strengthening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister announce their visits to the United States, Australia achieves its highest global gender equality ranking to date, and more.
Late last week, the HMAS Choules returned to Australia after participating in Exercise Pacific Partnership 2026. The US-led multilateral activity involved a 60-day deployment where Australian Defence Force personnel worked alongside regional and international partners to strengthen partnerships, interoperability, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities across South East Asia. Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Anita Williams, said “Exercise Pacific Partnership reinforces our shared commitment to strengthening regional resilience and supporting communities in times of need,” highlighting the importance of trusted partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.
Early in the week, the ADF’s Anzac class frigates supported the United States navy’s USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group during its transit in the South China Sea. As part of the ADF’s Regional Presence Deployment program, the support reflects Australia and the US’ routine joint operations and training, as well as, Australia’s continued commitment to an international rules-based order, enhancing partnerships and interoperability in the region to ensure peace and collective security.
On 16 September, the Australian Government announced Australia has been ranked 8th in the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Global Gender Gap Report. Ranked out of 143 countries, this is the highest rank achieved for the country and the first time Australia has broken into the top ten. The Prime Minister attributes the achievement to the work of his administration’s policies, having lifted the gender equality ranking from 43 in 2022, when he took office. The minister cautions, however, that “the job is not done and we will continue to focus our efforts on lifting wages, ending gender-based violence, increasing female representation in workplaces, investing in women’s health and more.”
The following day, the Foreign Minister’s Office published the ASEAN-Australian Joint Foreign Ministers’ statement on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. Covering numerous issue areas, the statement emphasises ASEAN member states and Australia’s continued commitment to ensuring peace, prosperity and stability in the region, following the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference held earlier this year in Manila.
Also on 17 September, the Australia-China Defence Coordination Dialogue was held in Beijing, China. Leading Australia’s delegation, the First Assistant Secretary International Policy, Mr Bernard Phillip met with Major General Ye Jiang, Deputy Director of the Central Military Commission Office for Military Cooperation, who led the Chinese delegation. The officials’ level meeting discussed various regional and global issues, including Australia’s concerns over China’s test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile in July this year. The platform gave Australia the chance to reiterate the importance of safe and professional military operations in the region, adherence to international law, and continued dialogue to navigate potential differences.
Later in the week, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister announced they will travel to California and New York this month. From 18 to 24 September, the Prime Minister will meet Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook at the company’s California headquarters, before joining the Foreign Minister in New York, where he will lead the Australian delegation at the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week.
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