Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Payne. Can the minister update the Senate on how Australia is strengthening defence cooperation with our Pacific partners?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): I thank Senator Reynolds for her question. Australia is of course very committed to supporting a secure and stable Pacific. We are strengthening our engagement through a number of initiatives, as I know the Minister for International Development and the Pacific is well aware. From a defence perspective, our Joint Task Group Indo-Pacific Endeavour 18 is a current major maritime activity that reflects our commitment to deepen our engagement and our partnerships with regional security forces in the Pacific through both dialogue and practical activities. The backbone of IPE 2018 is HMAS Adelaide, our LHD, the frigates HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Toowoomba and the supply ship HMAS Success. As well as those ships' companies we also have embarked on the ships an Australian Army team from 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and other support personnel from Navy and Air Force, which is a total of around 1,200 members. In addition, there are a number of international defence members, including marines from Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, and Sri Lankan marines as well. So far, IPE 2018 has visited Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu and they have undertaken some very practical activities with their counterparts. To give a couple of examples, in Vanuatu the task force delivered supplies to meet the needs of people who had been displaced by volcanic activity on Ambae Island. The electrical and marine technical sailors supported the Vanuatu police force maritime wing with maintenance on RVS Tukoro, which is one of the Pacific patrol boats from Australia, and members conducted a disaster-response-themed training activity. Last week I was in Tonga on board HMAS Adelaide. I saw firsthand the excellent work of the task group, including the handover of five Unimog trucks to assist Tonga's capacity to respond to natural disasters, in particular. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Reynolds, a supplementary question.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister update the Senate on how else we are building cooperation and strengthening engagement across our region?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is very important. It is not just in the Pacific that we are increasing our defence engagement. Across more than a dozen engagements at the Shangri-La Dialogue I noted repeatedly that we are engaging with nations small and large, both bilaterally and in smaller groupings, to strengthen the cohesion of nations that share our vision for the region, that contribute to security and stability in our region. Whether it's through training, through exercises, through educational opportunities or through improved information-sharing, we are always looking at ways to build on our capacity and our interoperability across the Indo-Pacific. We are providing practical support wherever we can, as requested by our partners. I think the best current example of that is the government's assistance to the government of Papua New Guinea for their hosting of APEC meetings in November of this year. We work closely with our partners across the region, particularly on counterterrorism, and specifically with the Philippines, with Indonesia, with Malaysia and with Singapore to address that continuing threat.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Reynolds, a final supplementary question.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister further advise how our longstanding relationships with our partners in the Indo-Pacific are contributing to regional stability?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Reynolds. There's one very timely example of our ability to work closely with our partners, which is built on a foundation of shared interests and values and of people-to-people links that have been established over decades. Next week, Australia and Malaysia will mark the 60th anniversary of Australia's presence at the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth. Generations of ADF members have lived and worked at Butterworth, including my own partner's parents, with their two young sons for a period. Many have built important bonds with their Malaysian counterparts. Around 100 former ADF personnel are expected to attend next week's celebration, which is a mark of the very special place that Butterworth holds in the hearts and minds of many Australians. The longevity of that engagement and our presence there at Butterworth testifies to Malaysia's and Australia's shared interests and also to both nations' commitment to regional stability. These are very important relationships on which we continue to build.