James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne. Can the minister outline Australia's approach to working with partners to address current regional and global challenges to security and stability?

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

I thank Senator Paterson for his question. We know that Australia's future prosperity and security depend on an Indo-Pacific region that is stable, open and free but supported by cooperation between sovereign nations. We are working with allies and partners to maintain and expand a resilient region in which sovereign states make decisions which are free from coercion, interference or aggression.

Our inclusive and practical diplomatic approach is to work ever more closely with all countries that share this vision, reinforcing traditional alliances with the United States and the United Kingdom, for example, while expanding cooperation with regional groups, such as ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum; newer arrangements, such as the Quad; and innovative partnerships, such as the Australia-France-India trilateral partnership and the Australia-Indonesia-Timor-Leste trilateral.

We have five clear objectives in enhancing our national interests: supporting open societies, open economies and a rules based order; building our sovereign capability, capacity and resilience; cooperating on global challenges, including equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution and climate change, for example; enabling renewed business led growth, including advocating strongly for reform of the World Trade Organization; and, fifthly, demonstrating that liberal democracies work.

Australians can be assured that the Morrison government will continue to promote their interests at home and abroad, whether that's in strengthening our defence, in protecting human rights or in opening opportunities for trade and business, as we've seen overnight in the meeting between Prime Ministers Johnson and Morrison. Our free trade agreement with the UK is aimed at creating jobs and expanding opportunities in a clear demonstration of what two liberal democracies and open economies can achieve. The two prime ministers will have more to say on this later today, our time.

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

Senator Paterson, a supplementary question.

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister update the Senate on the outcomes secured during her and the Prime Minister's recent international visits?

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

Again, I thank Senator Paterson. The Prime Minister's visits to Singapore and the G7-plus meetings have been shown to produce important outcomes and the benefits of collaboration with key partners. Australia will provide at least 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to boost access in developing countries, and we've signed partnerships on low-emissions technology investment with Singapore, Japan and Germany. The Prime Minister's discussions and my own with G7-plus foreign and development ministers last month and also in Geneva and Washington have reinforced the aligned approaches of like-minded nations on issues such as open markets, political freedoms, human rights and global recovery from COVID-19. In addition, the Prime Minister and I and Minister Seselja have also been able to visit our close friend and neighbour New Zealand to underscore our shared commitment to working together on our region's health, security and economic interests.

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

Senator Paterson, a final supplementary question?

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister update the Senate on the outcomes of Australia's two-plus-two meetings with Japan and Germany last week?

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

Our joint foreign affairs and defence two-plus-two dialogues are vital to align our diplomatic and security priorities with key partners and are virtual, at this point in time, rather than in person, but the outcomes with our Japanese and German counterparts last week really do demonstrate the value of that shared effort. With Japan, we agreed to strengthen cooperation on economic security, to deepen defence cooperation, to enhance engagement with the United States and other partners and to support South-East Asia and the Pacific in response to COVID-19. We also voiced our strong shared opposition to coercive and destabilising behaviour in our region. Our meeting with Germany demonstrated the increasing focus of liberal democracies on the Indo-Pacific. I signed an enhanced strategic partnership on practical cooperation with Germany during the second of our two-plus-twos, the first being held in 2016. Australia has been active in creating these opportunities, and it's something that both the Minister for Defence, Mr Dutton, and I will continue to pursue.

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

Order, Senator Payne. Senator Watt.