31 January 2025: The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Albanese and Wong commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day; Marles talks to new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and more.
On 27 January, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day by reaffirming Australia’s commitment to preserving the memory of the millions lost and ensuring the Holocaust’s lessons endure. His statement underscored the profound loss of Jewish life and culture, the ongoing threat of antisemitism, and the recent echoes of history in the 7 October attacks. The media release emphasised Australia’s unwavering support for its Jewish community, highlighting its integral role in the nation’s story and the government’s commitment to combating hatred and prejudice in all forms.
In a television interview with ABC on 24 January, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles remarked that he looked forward to meeting with this new counterpart in Washington, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Marles stated that the government was “very keen to be working with the Trump Administration on all the issues that occur within the Alliance.” He noted further that “defence is a key part of that and […] AUKUS is very central to all of that. We’ve got a very big agenda in working with the Americans. Marles spoke with Hegseth on 28 January. A read out from the US Department of Defense remarked that both sides “held an introductory call yesterday to discuss key initiatives across the breadth of the U.S.-Australia Alliance. The leaders exchanged views on the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. force posture priorities with Australia, AUKUS, and defense industrial collaboration, including our cooperation in support of Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) enterprise. The Secretary conveyed the enduring commitment of the United States to the bilateral alliance with Australia and pledged to remain in close coordination with Deputy Prime Minister Marles.”
On 30 January, Marles joined Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Minister for International Development and The Pacific Pat Conroy to announce new investment worth AUD$650 million to acquire additional “stocks of the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) missiles, which are designed to detect, attack and destroy enemy radar systems.” The missiles will be “acquired through the United States Government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procurement process,” and will go towards increasing the “warstock of the Australian Defence Force and its ability to deter Australia’s potential adversaries to keep Australians safe. This investment is in addition to the $431 million for the AARGM-ER missile previously announced by the Government in August 2023.” According to the statement, “this investment is part of the Albanese Government’s record investment in Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance, including warstock uplift, to deliver the priorities in the 2024 National Defence Strategy.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong was in Krakow, Poland, on 26 January to commemorate 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Joined by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Wong emphasised the importance of Holocaust remembrance, especially in light of rising antisemitism globally. She reaffirmed that the commitment to “never again” must translate into action from political leaders. Addressing concerns about the surge in antisemitic incidents in Australia, Wong stressed that such attacks threaten not only the Jewish community but the nation’s core values of tolerance, respect, and inclusivity. She underscored the government’s responsibility to stand against hatred and ensure that Australia remains a safe and welcoming home for all.
Wong joined Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Minister for Small Business Julie Collins on 29 January to mark the Lunar New year celebrations. The statement highlighted the “exciting new opportunities for Australian food and agriculture exporters to China, with $20 billion worth of trade impediments now removed.” According to the statement, “China’s consumers can celebrate the Year of the Snake by dining on a smorgasbord of Aussie cuisine, including delicious lobsters, the world’s best wines, and high-quality beef steaks.” Over 900 tonnes of live rock lobsters have already been exported to China since the removal of impediments, supporting 3,000 jobs across the industry. Additionally, Australia “exported $14 million or 582 tonnes of cherries in 2023-24, an increase of 129 per cent in value and 137 per cent in volume.” The rebound in Australian agricultural products exports has resulted in an increase in value by 221 percent of barley; 5,000 percent for wine, and an increase of 8,000 percent for timber logs. “China remains Australia’s largest market for agricultural exports, worth $17.1 billion and accounting for around a quarter of total agricultural exports in 2023-24.”
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.