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27 May: The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs

27 May 2022
By Isabella Keith
Parliament House At Dusk, Canberra ACT Source: Thennicke https://bit.ly/2ZsyTT3

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Albanese heads to the Quad, Wong sworn in as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Albanese-Biden bilateral meeting, and Wong travels to Fiji.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia on 23 May following the election on 21 May. In a press conference that day, Albanese noted that he had sworn in an “interim Ministry” in order to enable him and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong to attend Quad meetings in Tokyo. He also noted that United States President Joe Biden had congratulated him on the election result, and that “the relationship with the United States is our most important, along with our relationships in the region and our multilateral commitments as well.” Albanese stated that the Quad meetings are going to be “very important … to send a message to the world that there’s a new Government in Australia and it’s a Government that represents a change, in terms of the way we deal with the world on issues like climate change, but also a continuity in the way that we have respect for democracy and the way that we value our friendships and long-time alliances.”

Albanese issued a joint statement on 24 May alongside his Quad counterparts, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and United States President Joe Biden, following their Quad Leaders’ Meeting in Tokyo. The leaders referred to the meeting as a renewal of their shared “steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.” The leaders announced the Quad Fellowship, a program which will bring 100 students from Quad countries to the United States to pursue graduate degrees in STEM fields. Among their topics of discussion were: peace and stability, including the conflict in Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific; COVID-19 and global health security; deepened cooperation on infrastructure in the region; climate, including implementing the Paris Agreement and the outcomes of COP26; cybersecurity; critical and emerging technologies; the new Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness; and the establishment of the Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

At his opening remarks at the Quad Leaders’ Meeting, Albanese stated that “we have had a change of government in Australia, but Australia’s commitment to the Quad has not changed and will not change.” He further noted that “the new Australian Government’s priorities align with the Quad agenda – taking action on climate change and building a stronger and more resilient Indo-Pacific region, through better economic security, better cybersecurity, better energy security and better environmental and health security.” Albanese noted that his Government “has already committed to a greater focus on South-East Asia, including the appointment of a Special Envoy for the region and $470 million in additional foreign aid over the next four years.”

While in Tokyo, Albanese also participated in a bilateral meeting with President Biden on 24 May. In his opening remarks at the meeting, Albanese noted that his Government “is very committed to the alliance” with the United States and that he “look[s] forward to really strengthening our relationship”. He further stated that Australia “is very proud of the fact that the alliance was forged by John Curtin during World War Two … [which] led in the post-war to what we’ve just celebrated as the 70th anniversary of the formal alliance.”

On 25 May, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong announced that she will travel to Fiji on 26 May “to strengthen our Vuvale partnership and to discuss how we can best secure our region and help build a stronger Pacific family.” Wong noted that the visit, taking place in her first week in the role, “demonstrates the importance we place on our relationship with Fiji and on our Pacific engagement.” She stated that “Australia will listen to our Pacific partners as we work together to face our shared challenges and achieve our shared goals – including tackling climate change, pandemic recovery, economic development and regional security.” Wong also noted that she plans to take “real action on climate change at home and with our region”, and to “reform and expand” the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme. While in Fiji, Wong will meet with Fiji’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Frank Bainimarama, as well as other senior ministers, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna.

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.

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