This week in Australian foreign affairs: Morrison’s Lowy address, Quad Leaders’ Meeting, more sanctions on Russia, and more.

On 7 March, Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivered a virtual address to the Lowy Institute, where he noted that “the world has entered a period of profound strategic challenge and disruption.” He referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “an unprovoked, unjust and illegal war” and as “the latest example of an authoritarian regime seeking to challenge the status quo through threats and violence.” Morrison further stated that “a new arc of autocracy is instinctively aligning to challenge and reset the world order in their own image … Australia faces [its] most difficult and dangerous security environment in 80 years.” He referred to the sanctions Australia has placed on Russia and that Australia welcomes Europe’s own sanctions. Morrison then noted that “the Indo-Pacific remains at the centre of global geo-strategic competition. Australia is an Indo-Pacific nation. The future of the Indo-Pacific region is our future.” Morrison also noted his concern about “growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait” and that “the status quo that has underpinned regional security and prosperity” in the Indo-Pacific region “is disturbed by China’s military actions.” He referred to last month’s events of a Chinese naval ship pointing a military-grade laser at an Australian Defence Force aircraft as “needlessly provocative”, “irresponsible” and “very dangerous”, and argued that the Russian invasion of Ukraine “heralds a moment of choice for China.”

In his Lowy Institute address as well as in a later press statement with Minister for Defence Peter Dutton that same day, Morrison announced that the Government will build a Future Submarine Base on the east coast of Australia “to support basing and disposition of the future nuclear-powered submarines” to be acquired under the AUKUS trilateral partnership. He stated that “Australia faces a difficult and dangerous security environment and we must continue to invest in growing the capability of our [Australian Defence Force] to ensure we keep Australians safe.” The commitment is a 20-year investment, with the Department of Defence estimating that building the base and transitioning towards nuclear-powered submarines will cost more than $10 billion.

Morrison attended a virtual Quad Leaders’ Meeting on 4 March with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and United States President Joe Biden. In a joint statement, the leaders discussed the “ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine” and that they had “agreed to stand up a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism which will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine.” In a media statement following the meeting, Morrison referred to the Quad as “four Leaders of liberal democratic nations who uphold the values and principles of our rules based international order.” He further noted that the meeting came at a “critical time for our region and the world” and that “we cannot allow what is happening in Ukraine now to ever happen in the Indo-Pacific … the events in Ukraine only reaffirm the importance of the positive work being done by the Quad to ensure a free and independent Indo-Pacific.”

On 8 March, Morrison virtually addressed the Australian Financial Review Business Summit. He noted that “we gather at an important moment in world history and at an uncertain time for our global economy. The overlay of an even recovery from the pandemic, unprovoked military aggression in Europe, in Ukraine, an energy and commodity price shock, and continued geostrategic risks in our own region, this all creates a highly complex and risky external environment. It’s no place for amateurs.” Morrison stated that he had discussed Europe’s dependence on Russian energy with European leaders “particularly [German] Chancellor Scholz and Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki”, as well as “the role that Australia can play to assist them” in diversifying their energy sources. He reiterated Martin Wolf’s statement that “the tectonic plates of geopolitics have shifted such that Western liberal democracies now need to manage strategic security [as] an overriding imperative for their economic policy … this is what my Government has always done.” Morrison referred to “strong national security and genuine economic security” as going “hand-in-hand” and “two sides of the same coin.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne announced further sanctions on Russia on 8 March amid its “unprovoked, unjustified invasion with false narratives such as the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine.” The new round of sanctions will “impose targeted financial sanctions on the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and targeted financial sanctions and travel bans against an additional six senior Russian military commanders responsible for implementing naval, ground and air attacks on Ukraine.” She announced that the Government is sanctioning “10 people of strategic interest to Russia for their role in encouraging hostility towards Ukraine and promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda to legitimise Russia’s invasion”, and has stated that this “recognises the powerful impact that disinformation and propaganda can have in conflict.”

On 1 March, Payne delivered the fifth Tom Hughes Oration. She referred to “Russia’s aggression” as a “defining moment for Europe and the world as we see an authoritarian state trying to wind back the liberties that flourished after the Iron Curtain fell, and dismantle by force the democracy that its smaller neighbour has courageously established for itself.” Payne further noted that “we face difficult years ahead, but in my view there is no outcome that is foregone or inevitable. Australia has agency and influence to shape our strategic environment for the better.” She stated that “Authoritarian states are exhibiting aggression and they are also encouraging one another. There are reasons to believe that Russia and China are working together on aligned interests … we are not complacent about the risks that greater cooperation between them will have. So we must not be complacent. And we must compete.” Payne referred to Australia’s commitment to “strengthen our friendships across the world”, such as through the Quad, the G7+, Australia’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN, and the AUKUS agreement. She concluded by noting that “Russia’s unprovoked aggression must not set a new baseline for what is tolerated by the international community. This Government is determined that the international rules-based order is upheld so that we don’t enter a new age in which might makes right and smaller, peaceful nations are dominated by larger, aggressive ones.”

Payne also addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council on 2 March, where she reiterated Australia’s support of “the multilateral system, the central tenet of which is the United Nations Charter.” She noted that “Russia has seriously breached international law and the UN Charter” and that Australia is “preparing assistance to support humanitarian relief through the UN and international agencies.” Payne also referred to Australia’s continuing concern for “deteriorating human rights situations” in North Korea, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Myanmar. She urged all member states to “protect, respect and promote human rights, particularly in times of crisis.”

On 4 March, Payne delivered a speech at the United Nations Women Australia’s International Women’s Day event. She noted that “the global perspective is an important one on International Women’s Day” and referred to her recent dialogues with women leaders in the Pacific through the Pacific Women Leaders Network, and the Women’s Resilience to Disasters Program in the Pacific. She further noted that “as we mark International Women’s Day this year, we are also confronted by the terrible consequences of unrest for women and girls”, particularly in Ukraine.

Payne spoke at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)’s event on “Women, Peace and Security – Reflections on Afghanistan” on 9 March. She noted that “both crises” in Afghanistan and Ukraine “demonstrate some fundamental similarities: a failure to negotiate in good faith by one of the parties [and] the attempt by one party to subjugate the people’s right to legitimate self determination, and one party using violence to obtain territorial gain.” Reflecting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Payne stated that it has demonstrated that “global peace and security can never be taken for granted as a normal state of the world. Threats can emerge quickly and dramatically.”

On 1 March, Payne virtually addressed the Conference on Disarmament, where she called on Russia to “cease its unlawful and unprovoked” invasion of Ukraine, and referred to Russia’s actions as “a flagrant breach of the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force for territorial gain.” She reiterated Australia’s support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity and referred to these principles as the “bedrock … of a rules-based world order.” She noted that “there is an urgent need for practical progress on nuclear risk reduction, nuclear arms control, and nuclear disarmament” amidst Russia’s nuclear threats.

Payne hosted a virtual Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Afghanistan on 9 March. Ministers from Australia, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cote D’Ivoire, Estonia, Germany, Ghana, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Malawi, New Zealand, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tonga attended the meeting, which was “the largest meeting of women holding foreign affairs ministerial positions.” The Ministers listened to presentations from three Afghan women “about approaches and solutions that can be applied to the humanitarian and security crisis in Afghanistan, especially relating to women and girls.” They “agreed to continue close monitoring of the Taliban’s actions, especially relating to women and girls, and to hold the Taliban accountable for its actions.”

On 9 March, Payne and her Indonesian counterpart, Retno L.P. Marsudi, announced that they will virtually co-chair the inaugural Southeast Asia Dialogue of Women Leaders later this month. The Dialogue “will provide a platform for women leaders in politics, business and civil society to exchange views and share ideas. Participants will discuss shared challenges, policy approaches, and areas of cooperation in gender equality as well as the impacts of COVID-19 on women and children.”

Minister for Trade Dan Tehan noted on 9 March that Australia “welcomes” the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) announcement that panellists have been appointed to adjudicate Australia’s challenge to the anti-dumping duties imposed on Australian bottled wine by China. Tehan stated that Australian “is committed to defending the interests of Australian wine makers and will continue to use the WTO system to stand up for the rights of Australian exporters” and “remains open to further discussions with China to resolve this issue.”

On 4 March, Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews announced that Australia has listed Hamas “in its entirety” as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code. The listing replaces the previous listing of Hamas’ paramilitary wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which has been listed since 2003. Andrews stated that “the hateful ideologies of terrorist groups and those who support them have no place in Australia. Our strong laws target not only terrorist acts and terrorists, but also the organisations that plan, finance and carry out these abhorrent acts.”

Isabella Keith is a weekly columnist for Australian Outlook. She is also an undergraduate student at the Australian National University studying Law and Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Isabella’s research interests include international law and comparative constitutional law.

This article is published under a Creative Commons License and may be republished with attribution.