This week in Australian foreign affairs: Aus-PNG defence treaty announced; Wong appoints multiple senior foreign postings; Marles comments on Chinese ships on Australia’s east coast, flares deployed in the South China Sea; 40th anniversary of the Aus-PNG Torres Strait Treaty; Burke announces resettlement of three “NZYQ” individuals to Nauru and more.

Following the Australia-Papua New Guinea Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Brisbane, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Richard Marles, jointly announced with PNG Defence Minister, Dr Billy Joseph, the commencement of bilateral “negotiations to establish a defence treaty between Australia and PNG”. On the treaty, Marles stated: “It will be the most significant defence agreement between our two countries since Papua New Guinean independence.” 

At the same press conference, Marles provided an update on the Chinese ships identified on Australia’s east coast earlier this week, announcing that Australia is engaging with both PNG and New Zealand to monitor the ships. This comes after Marles’ interview on ABC News Breakfast last Friday, in which he addressed the deploying of flares within 30 metres of an Australian military plane by a Chinese fighter aircraft, as well as the presence of Chinese ships, at that point, in the Coral Sea. On the flares, Marles stated: “I mean, why we’re there and the reason our Navy is there as well as to assert the rules-based order, to do freedom of navigation, and to make it clear that freedom of navigation on the high seas remains the way in which the law of the world […]. We do [this work] in accordance with international law. We’re not the only country that does it. But it is really important that we assert the rules of the road, as they were. And we understand there will be interactions between our two defence forces. That is fine. But where those interactions happen, they need to be professional and safe. And we have determined that where they are unsafe, we will call it out and that’s what we’re doing.” While noting that the Chinese ships in the Coral Sea—comprising “three ships, one a cruiser, another a frigate and then a tanker which supplies oil to or fuel to the ships”—are indeed legally abiding by international law, Marles stated: “I’ve instructed that Navy and Air Force assets be deployed to make sure that we are watching exactly what the task group is doing. We’ll do that in a manner that is safe and professional. That’s very much our right. And whenever this mission is over, we will assess it to understand exactly what the Chinese were trying to achieve.” 

Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong, has announced the appointment of six individuals to ambassador and high commissioner roles, as well as two to major international forums. Susannah Hodson has been appointed High Commissioner to the Cook Islands. Hodson was most recently Director of Sports Projects in the Office of the Pacific and has previously served in Fiji and Belgium. Appointed as High Commissioner to the Republic of Fiji is Peter Roberts. Roberts is presently Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy, Tokyo. Previously, he “served overseas as Australia’s Ambassador to Timor-Leste. He has also had postings in Australian diplomatic missions in Samoa and Japan and served as a Senior Civilian Monitor in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.” The outgoing High Commissioner to Fiji, Ewen McDonald, has meanwhile been appointed High Commissioner to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. McDonald was previously Australia’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, with accreditation to the Cook Islands and Niue. Wong also announced Australia’s new High Commissioner to New Zealand, Daniel Sloper. Sloper was most recently First Assistant Secretary of the East Asia Division; “His previous roles include First Assistant Secretary of the Pacific Division, where he led work on relations with New Zealand, and Australia’s G20 Special Representative. He has served overseas as Australia’s Special Representative on Afghanistan (based in Doha), as Deputy Head of Mission in Berlin, and in Tokyo.” Wong’s final Pacific appointment is Ambassador to the Republic of Palau, Toby Sharpe, most recently serving as the First Secretary of the Australian Embassy in Beijing, and previously in the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) in Honiara. Moving beyond the Pacific, Wong has appointed Keith Pitt as Ambassador to the Holy See. Pitt, a former Member for the Division of Hinkler, served in the Federal Parliament from 2013 until 2025, holding ministerial positions in a number of portfolios, including Trade, Tourism and Investment, Resources, and Water. Wong also announced two appointments to represent Australia in major international forums. Clare Walsh will serve as Australia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. “Ms Walsh is a senior career officer with DFAT and is currently the Chief Operating Officer. She has previously served overseas as Deputy Head of Mission in Japan. In Canberra, she has held a number of senior multilateral, development, climate change and corporate positions in DFAT and other Commonwealth agencies.” And finally, Wong appointed Gemma Huggins as Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism, sitting on the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee. Huggins was most recently “Assistant Secretary Middle East Branch in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Her previous diplomatic roles include Australian Deputy Head of Mission to Lebanon and a posting to Zimbabwe.” 

Trade Minister, Don Farrell, welcomed Canada’s Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, Mary Ng, to his home state of South Australia, before the two attended the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum in Sydney on 16-18 February.  

Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, announced on Sunday the resettlement to Nauru of three non-citizens from the “NZYQ” group, who have now been issued long-term visas by the Nauruan government. Burke’s media release states: “As a result [of these visas being issued], their Australian bridging visas ceased in line with laws passed by the Albanese Labor Government late last year. Australian Border Force personnel subsequently took all three individuals back into immigration detention pending their removal from Australia. With valid visas to a third country, these individuals now have a real prospect of removal from Australia – meaning they are no longer affected by the High Court’s NZYQ ruling and have therefore been detained. The Government anticipates this arrangement with Nauru may be challenged in the Australian courts. We are confident in the laws we put in place last year to protect community safety.”  

Returning to PNG: In a joint release with Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Torres Strait Treaty, which entered into force on 15 February 1985, following Papua New Guinea’s independence from Australia in 1975. PNG will celebrate 50 years of independence this September.  

Conroy and Wong also announced the Albanese Government’s support for a $95 million upgrade to PNG’s Kimbe Port, “to improve freight services and resilience to climate change, while fostering economic growth and creating local jobs.” The media release states: ” The upgrade is financed by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP), and will involve the demolition and reconstruction of wharf structures and the rehabilitation of existing facilities. This project forms part of the broader AIFFP-funded PNG Ports Infrastructure Investment Program, which aims to strengthen connectivity and supply chain efficiency across [PNG]. The program, developed in partnership with the PNG Government, will also upgrade Oro Bay, Daru, Lae and Kavieng facilities. Pacific Marine Group Pty Ltd has been awarded the contract by PNG Ports Corporation Ltd for Kimbe Port Marine improvement works. The Kimbe Port upgrade is supporting local jobs via local construction companies and supply chains, with a minimum target of 30 per cent expenditure on local content. The works are scheduled to begin in early 2025 and conclude in 2026.” 

Samuel Wassmann is a Master of Political Science student at the Australian National University and an Assistant Editor at Australian Outlook. His 2022 honours thesis at the University of Queensland examined entanglement between the Torres Strait Treaty and political clout in the borderland of South Fly, Papua New Guinea.

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