This week in Australian foreign affairs: Albanese and Marles on US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey crash; Marles meets with Philippines counterpart; expanded skills development MoU with Indonesia; Conroy in Tuvalu; and more.

On 27 August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Richard Marles issued a joint statement after a United States Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey crashed on Melville Island, north of Darwin, while supporting Exercise Predators Run 2023. Albanese and Marles shared their “thoughts and deepest condolences are with the three US service personnel who lost their lives, those who have been injured, the rest of the crew and indeed the entire United States armed forces.” They also noted that “Australian and US personnel have stood shoulder to shoulder for more than a century” and that “our Alliance is built upon these enduring links and our shared values.” Albanese and Marles emphasised that the incident “is a reminder of the significance of the service undertaken by our personnel and those of our partner nations.”

Marles and his counterpart from the Philippines, Secretary of National Defence Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. met on the sidelines of Exercise Alon on 25 August. They “discussed the importance of all countries in the region exercising their agency in support of an Indo-Pacific region that is based on sovereignty, international law, and ASEAN Centrality.” Marles and Teodoro also “agreed on the importance of all states operating safely and professionally, while respecting and adhering to international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and … reaffirmed [their] strong support of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award.” Moreover, they “reaffirmed our support to elevate our relationship to a Strategic Partnership” and “committed to expanding some of [their] bilateral activities in the future to include other countries committed to sustaining peace and security in [the] region.”

On 25 August, Minister for Trade Don Farrell announced the signing of an expanded Memorandum of Understanding on the Indonesia-Australia Skills Development Exchange Pilot. The program “will enable eligible workers to travel to Australia or Indonesia to develop workplace skills, as well as intercultural and business connections.” Farrell noted that “Indonesia is of vital importance to Australia, as a partner and a neighbour” and that “deepening our economic ties, cultural understanding, and people-to-people links with Indonesia is a priority for the Albanese Labor Government.”

Minister for International Development Pat Conroy travelled to Tuvalu this week “to hear first-hand from the Government about its priorities and to continue to deepen our close partnership.” He met with Prime Minister Kausea Natano and members of his Cabinet, to discuss “how we can work together to strengthen Tuvalu’s economic and environmental resilience.” Conroy also “reaffirm[ed] Australia’s commitment to ambitious climate action” during his visit and visited the Tuvalu Coastal Appreciation Project “to see the critical work Australia is supporting to protect the lives, livelihoods and culture of Tuvaluans in the face of climate change.” During his trip, Conroy announced that Australia will provide $21.4 million (USD$15 million) in co-financing to the Asian Development Bank to support upgrades to two of Tuvalu’s critical boat harbours. The project will rehabilitate the Niutao Harbour and construct new harbour facilities at Nui, which will bolster transport connectivity for passengers and cargo. He also noted that “the funding arrangements are being finalised and are subject to negotiations with the Asian Development Bank” and that “Australia’s support for the Asian Development Bank to deliver these upgrades reflects our shared commitment to delivering infrastructure projects that generate sustained economic and development benefits.”

On 25 August, Conroy addressed the University of Newcastle’s Wantok Pasifika event. He emphasised that the Pacific “is a community” and that “we share a region, we share an ocean, and we share a future.” Conroy noted that the Government “came into office pledging to take real action on climate change”, “an issue that Pacific island countries have been leading on for a long time” and “an issue which Australia has not always listened to our partners on.” He stated that the International Development Policy launched earlier in August “is built on listening, respect and genuine partnership” and “identifies ambitious targets and action on climate change, as being central to Australia’s international development efforts.” Conroy concluded by noting that “working together – openly and transparently, in the Pacific Way – is essential as we navigate the challenges of the present into the future.”

Isabella Keith is a weekly columnist for Australian Outlook. She is also a Research Assistant, Sessional Academic, and Honours student in Law at the Australian National University, with a focus on international law. Isabella attended the AIIA #NextGen study tour to South Korea last year, and was also a delegate to the AIIA’s Australia-Korea-New Zealand and Australia-United States-Japan Policy Forums. She can be found on Twitter here.

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