This week in Australian foreign affairs: $110 million assistance package for Ukraine, Albanese to host Widodo in Sydney next week, inaugural National Cyber Security Coordinator announced, Marles travels to Solomon Islands, and more.

On 26 June, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong jointly announced a new $110 million assistance package for Ukraine, to “help Ukraine defend and support itself against Russia’s illegal, immoral and unprovoked invasion.” The package “responds to Ukraine’s requests for vehicles and ammunition, and will make a tangible difference on the battlefield”, and includes “70 military vehicles, including: 28 M113 armoured vehicles, 14 Special Operations Vehicles, and 28 MAN 40M medium trucks and 14 trailers”, the “supply of 105mm artillery ammunition”, and “$10 million to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs”. Albanese stated that “Australia is unwavering in our resolve to condemn and oppose Russia’s actions and to help Ukraine achieve victory.” Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Birmingham “welcome[d] the announcement” but noted that “its impact on the ground would likely have been far greater had it been delivered sooner.”

Albanese noted that from 3 to 5 July, he will host President of Indonesia Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana Widodo in Sydney. During this time, the leaders will hold the 8th Australia-Indonesia Annual Leaders’ Meeting, where they will “discuss existing areas of cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as well as deepening commercial and economic links and opportunities for both countries through the transition to net zero.”

On 23 June, Albanese announced the appointment of Air Marshal Darren Goldie as the inaugural National Cyber Security Coordinator. Air Marshal Goldie “has served his country with distinction for more than 30 years through various roles with the Royal Australian Air Force, most recently as Air Commander Australia.” He has also “held key leadership positions, including at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2020-21 providing strategic foreign policy advice to Government.” Air Marshal Goldie commences his term as National Cyber Security Coordinator on 3 July, and “will drive forward the necessary work to ensure Australia is best positioned to respond to the opportunities and threats of the digital age.”

Marles travelled to Honiara, Solomon Islands this week, in his first visit to Solomon Islands as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. During his trip, Marles will meet with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare as well as “a wide range of Government and community leaders”, and “Australian and Pacific personnel deployed within the regional Solomons International Assistance Force.”

On 25 June, Wong noted that Australia will provide an additional $12.5 million “to meet urgent humanitarian needs in Bangladesh and Myanmar following Tropical Cyclone Mocha.” $10.5 million will go to Myanmar “to support 1.6 million affected people, through the United Nations-led response plan.” The funding will be provided “to UN agencies and humanitarian partners to ensure that it does not directly benefit or legitimise the military regime.” In Bangladesh, Australia will provide $2 million to humanitarian partners, “primarily to support Bangladeshi communities in the most severely-affected areas.”

Wong announced “targeted financial sanctions” have been imposed on three persons involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. The sanctions “target Sergey Dubinskiy and Leonid Kharchenko, who were both found guilty by the District Court of The Hague.” Australia has also sanctioned Sergey Muchkaev, “a Colonel with the Russian Armed Forces who in July 2014 was the Commander of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which supplied the Buk-TELAR that downed Flight MH17.” She noted that the sanctions “demonstrate the Australian Government’s ongoing commitment to hold to account those responsible for the downing of Flight MH17.”

On 28 June, Wong issued a statement on the appointment of Lynn Bell as Australia’s next Ambassador to Counter Modern Slavery, People Smuggling and Human Trafficking. Bell is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Assistant Secretary, Crisis Preparedness and Management Branch. She will “play a leading role in driving international cooperation, including through Australia’s work as Co-Chair of the Bali Process, which is crucial to addressing the abhorrent crimes of people smuggling, human trafficking and related transnational crime.”

Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy travelled to Palau this week “to further deepen Australia’s relationship with our partner in the North Pacific and celebrate key development project milestones.” While in Palau, he will meet with President Surangel Whipps Jr and members of the Government of Palau, “to discuss important bilateral and regional issues, including regional unity, connectivity and security.” Conroy will also visit two critical infrastructure projects supported by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific: a solar and battery facility, and a fibre optic submarine cable system.

Isabella Keith is a weekly columnist for Australian Outlook. She is also a Research Assistant, Sessional Academic, and Honours student in Law at the Australian National University, with a focus on international law. Isabella attended the AIIA #NextGen study tour to South Korea last year, and was also a delegate to the AIIA’s Australia-Korea-New Zealand and Australia-United States-Japan Policy Forums. She can be found on Twitter here.

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