This week in Australian foreign affairs: Albanese and President of the Republic of Nauru David Adeang sign Nauru–Australia Treaty; Australia-Papua New Guinea Bilateral Security Agreement enters into force; Marles in Melbourne for the Australia-Malaysia defence ministers’ meeting, and more.

On 9 December 2024 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined President of the Republic of Nauru David Adeang to announce an integrated economic, social and security partnership with the signing of the Nauru–Australia Treaty. The Treaty recognises that local “vulnerabilities, compounded by de-banking and climate change risks, demand urgent, collaborative action to build resilience and sustainable growth.” Australia will provide AUD$100 million over five years to strengthen Nauru’s economic security, with investments in education, health, and social services, and an additional $40 million to support policing and national security. The Treaty ensures critical infrastructure remains secure from third-party misuse, reflecting a shared commitment to regional stability. Set to take effect in 2025, the Treaty underscores a commitment to sovereignty, mutual prosperity, and a peaceful, secure Indo-Pacific. In a media release on the same day, Albanese outlined that the “Commonwealth Bank of Australia will provide banking services in Nauru, including a physical presence, following the departure of Bendigo Bank next year.”

Albanese has also joined Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape on 12 December to announce the entry into force of the Australia – Papua New Guinea Bilateral Security Agreement. The Agreement, a legally binding framework, “broadens and modernises our longstanding security relationship, ensures consultation on security-related developments and allows us to work even more closely together to contribute to the region’s security.” Australian support under the framework will include “support to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary by commencing construction on new policing facilities, delivering a new police patrol vessel, as well as support for recruitment, training and forensics.” Australia has also expanded its “flagship Australia – Papua New Guinea Law and Justice Partnership to boost our delivery of initiatives to promote safe and secure communities across Papua New Guinea.”

Also on 12 December, Albanese and Marape celebrated the deepening of Australia-Papua New Guinea ties through rugby league. “The Australian and Papua New Guinea (PNG) Governments are partnering with the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) to deepen our connections through rugby league” through the support of a PNG team in the National Rugby League competition by 2028. “The Australian Government will also partner with the ARLC on a Pacific Rugby League Partnership for girls and boys, and women and men to play rugby league from the grassroots to the elite level across PNG, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.” The partnership will seek to use “rugby league to help increase school retention, promote positive health and nutrition, build gender equality and foster youth leadership. It will invest in girls’ and women’s rugby league across the region, cultivating pathways and new opportunities, and work toward including a PNG Women’s team in one of Australia’s premier state competitions.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles was in Melbourne on 10 December for the Australia-Malaysia defence ministers’ meeting. Marles hosted the Malaysian Minister of Defence, Mohamed Khaled Nordin, for the fourth Malaysia-Australia High Level Committee. “Australia and Malaysia share a longstanding defence partnership, built on our shared military history, the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), the Malaysia Australia Joint Defence Program (MAJDP), and our commitment to ASEAN centrality.” The two counterparts discussed regional security cooperation, maritime domain awareness and information sharing, and reflected on the success of recent joint exercises and training exchanges. A statement on joint information sharing expressed bilateral intentions to grow information sharing between the respective defence ministries and armed forces by having officials explore opportunities to expand the scope of information shared, and assess the effectiveness of information-sharing efforts.

On 11 December, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Maris Sangiampongsa, to Adelaide for the second Australia-Thailand Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The two discussed ways to “advance cooperation under our Strategic Partnership and address regional and global challenges, and further our common interest in a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.” The announcement underscored that Australia and Thailand will continue “working together to support development, resilience and prosperity in the Mekong sub-region and to counter transnational crime,” including through the Mekong-Australia Partnership and Partnership for Infrastructure programs. While in Australia, Sangiampongsa will visit the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) at Lot Fourteen where work related to precision farming and AI-assisted water management takes place. “Thailand is Australia’s 10th largest trading partner.”

Dr Adam Bartley is the managing editor for AIIA’s Australian Outlook and weekly columnist for The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and non-resident fellow at the Elliot School for International Affairs, the George Washington University. Adam also has positions as post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation RMIT University  and as program manager of the AI Trilateral Experts Group. He can be found on Twitter here.

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