This week in Australian foreign affairs: Marles and Wong in UK for 14th Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN); aid for search and rescue efforts provided to Vanuatu following the Port Vila earthquake; Wong in Ukraine to announce return of embassy to Kyiv, and more.

On 15 December, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Tony Burke to confirm the return of five Australian citizens—Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, and Michael Czugaj—after serving over 19 years in Indonesian prisons for serious offenses. The government expressed “deep appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for its cooperation to facilitate the men’s return to Australia on humanitarian grounds,” highlighting the strong bilateral relationship and mutual respect between the two nations. Throughout their imprisonment, Australia consistently advocated for the men and provided consular support to them and their families. The men now have an opportunity to continue their rehabilitation and reintegration in Australia, and the government has requested that the media respect their privacy and that of their families during this time, the statement read.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong travelled to the United Kingdom on 15 December to attend the 14th Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN). Discussions took place with UK counterparts, the David Lammy and John Healey, and focus on deepening alignment on foreign, defence, and security policies. According to the statement, the meeting marks the first AUKMIN under the Starmer Government, following Australia’s hosting of the event in Adelaide earlier this year, reflecting the “value and relevance of our partnership amid sharpening strategic competition.” According to the joint statement, the consultations emphasized the evolving UK-Australia relationship, with agreements on several key initiatives. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to global security, strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and announcing Australia’s extension of its contribution to Operation Interflex, a UK-led training initiative for Ukrainian personnel. They also called for China to discourage support for Russia and criticised North Korea’s involvement in the conflict. Key outcomes included formalising the UK-Australia Maritime Security Dialogue, launching the Hydrography Leaders Programme in the Southwest Pacific, and progressing the AUKUS partnership. The ministers also announced the start of Australia’s SSN-AUKUS submarine build under a new mobilisation agreement and highlighted advancements in undersea warfare capabilities, quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence under AUKUS Pillar II. In trade, the ministers welcomed the UK’s accession to the CPTPP, enhancing the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement, and acknowledged new milestones, such as the Australia-UK Renewable Hydrogen Innovation Partnership. They also signed the UK-Australia Climate and Energy Partnership, reinforcing both nations’ roles in the clean energy transition and agreeing to further cooperation on critical minerals supply chains. Additionally, the ministers emphasised joint efforts in the Indo-Pacific, addressing security challenges, promoting ASEAN centrality, and advocating for stability across the Taiwan Strait. During the visit, Marles also toured His Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport, the largest naval facility in Western Europe, supporting the UK’s operational, training, and maintenance activities, including submarine maintenance. Following the UK visit, Wong proceeded to Strasbourg and Brussels for meetings with the European Union and NATO.

On 18 December, Marles joined Wong, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Acting Minister for Emergency Management Catherine King, and Acting Minister for International Development and the Pacific Matt Keogh to announce support for urban search and rescue operations following the devastating Port Vila earthquake. In coordination with the Vanuatu Government’s request, Australia deployed a AUD$2 million response package, including a 64-person Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) with two canines to assist in the search. The DART team will work alongside local authorities to recover trapped individuals, conduct safety assessments, and manage hazardous materials. An Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) has been dispatched to aid health authorities treating the injured and to assess additional needs. Additional support included a five-person Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Crisis Response Team, a National Emergency Management Agency Liaison Officer, and nine Australian Federal Police members joining six already in Vanuatu to assist with command, emergency communications, and disaster victim identification. The Government announced it will also bolster the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office and has deployed teams via Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J Hercules aircraft, with further Australian Defence Force support available if needed.

Marles travelled to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a two day stop-over between 18 – 19 December. While there, Marles met with senior leaders to reinforce “shared commitment to the global rules-based order.” While in the UAE, Marles visited Australian Defence Force personnel deployed to Headquarters Middle East. According to the statement: “Saudi Arabia is Australia’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East and we work closely together in the G20, and through other multilateral institutions to respond to global challenges.” Regarding UAE: “Australia and the UAE have recently elevated our trade relationship with the signing of our Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, strengthening our relationship and growing our economies.”

On 16 December, Wong joined the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the High Representative of the European Union to condemn “in the strongest possible terms” the escalating military cooperation between North Korea (DPRK) and Russia. This includes the deployment of DPRK troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine and the transfer of ballistic missiles, artillery shells, and other military materiel. Such actions, alongside Russia’s training of DPRK soldiers, are “flagrant violations” of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, including 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), and 2270 (2016). According to the statement, the ministers warned that this partnership poses a grave threat to European and Indo-Pacific security and expressed deep concern over any Russian support for North Korea’s illegal weapons programs. Reaffirming their “unwavering commitment” to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the ministers called on the DPRK to cease all assistance to Russia, withdraw its troops, and for Russia to end its war of aggression. They urged the international community to join their call and pledged continued collective action, including economic sanctions, to counter the DPRK-Russia collaboration.

Wong travelled to Kyiv on 18 December to express Australia’s unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine and to announce further support to assist them in response to Russia’s “brutal, illegal war.” During meetings with Ukrainian leaders, Wong committed $66 million to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development for Ukraine’s recovery efforts and $10 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund to provide heat and electricity. Since the start of the full-scale conflict in February 2022, Australia has provided over AUD$1.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine. Wong also announced the reopening of Australia’s embassy in Kyiv, closed in 2022, with Australia’s Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission set to return next month.

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.

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