This week in Australian foreign affairs: Australia reaffirms its security commitment with Vanuatu, amendments to the Foreign Arrangements Scheme are made, humanitarian assistance is provided to Venezuela, and more.
On 28 June, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Communications Anika Wells announced the Government will strengthen the eSafety Commissioner’s information-gathering powers and double the maximum penalty for breaches of Australia’s social media minimum age law to $99 million, citing the global influence of this ‘world-leading’ policy. Since the ban took effect on 10 December, more than five million under-16 accounts have been removed, deactivated or restricted, though eSafety is investigating potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. The new powers will allow the Commissioner to compel platforms, and third parties such as age-assurance and app-store providers, to produce evidence of their compliance efforts, while the penalty for ignoring such information-gathering notices will also double, from $49.5 million to $99 million, bringing it in line with penalties under competition and consumer law. Prime Minister Albanese said Australia is “leading the world in our efforts to keep kids and young people safe online,” while Minister Wells said the reforms would ensure platforms could no longer get by “doing the bare minimum.”
The following day, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the Hon Jotham Napat, met in Canberra to sign the Nakamal Agreement, a treaty elevating the two countries’ longstanding partnership and reaffirming Vanuatu’s commitment to Pacific-led regional security. The agreement works to formalise Australia’s role as Vanuatu’s primary security and development partner, with Vanuatu committing to bar any foreign military base or infrastructure from its territory and to consult Australia on proposed third-party engagement in its critical infrastructure. The deal, initiated at Vanuatu’s request, follows nearly ten months of renegotiation after Port Vila withdrew from an earlier version in September over sovereignty concerns, and no longer includes the veto power over foreign infrastructure investment that had featured in the original draft. Prime Minister Albanese said the agreement “advances a consensus that security is the shared responsibility of the Pacific family,” while Prime Minister Napat called it a significant step that confirms Australia and Vanuatu as “close neighbours, trusted partners.”
Later in the week, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, alongside the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP, introduced an amendment bill to strengthen and streamline the Foreign Arrangements Scheme. Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026 responds to a 2025 independent review led by Ms Rosemary Huxtable AO PSM, which found the framework was functioning well but recommended sharpening its focus on genuine risk areas and improving compliance processes; the Government has agreed or agreed in principle to all 23 of the review’s recommendations. Minister Thistlethwaite noted that the Scheme provides a framework for cooperation on foreign policy between the Federal Government and state, territory and local governments and public universities. Senator Wong says the reforms will ensure Australia’s international engagements “always align with our national interest” particularly amid a “more contested environment.”
In response to Venezuela’s recent earthquakes, Australia will join international partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, in providing humanitarian assistance to affected communities. In a statement released on 2 July, Penny Wong announced the Government’s plan to contribute $2 million towards emergency food, shelter, sanitation, water, hygiene and psychosocial support. The funding, channelled through trusted partners including the International Federation of the Red Cross and the United Nations World Food Programme, will also support first responders, logistics and coordination, storage, and the capacity of local authorities and humanitarian organisations to transport aid.
On 2 July, Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell welcomed the completion of the five-yearly independent review into Austrade’s Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program. Led by Mr Timothy Yeend, the review is intended to ensure the EMDG program continues to support Australian exporters and help businesses diversify into global markets, having already assisted more than 51,000 businesses since 1974. Minister Farrell confirmed the Government’s intention to respond formally to the review in due course.
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