Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the motion moved by the member for Sturt and express my support for the Australia-European Union Security and Defence Partnership. This partnership reflects a simple reality in an increasingly contested, uncertain and hard world: Australia is more secure when we work alongside trusted partners who share our commitment to peace, stability and the global rules-based order.

As a regional power, Australia has a profound interest in shaping the strategic environment around us. We cannot afford to be passive observers of global events; nor can we assume that our security will be guaranteed by geography alone. The challenges we face today are increasingly transnational. Cyberattacks do not stop at national borders. Foreign interference campaigns operate across continents. Terrorist-financing networks span jurisdictions. Emerging technologies present opportunities and risks that no country can effectively manage in isolation. Partnerships like this one are important to counter these emerging transnational security risks.

The Australia-European Union Security and Defence Partnership will deepen cooperation across defence industry, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, economic security, maritime security and emerging technologies. It will strengthen information sharing, build resilience against complex threats and create new opportunities for collaboration between Australian and European industries.

Importantly, this partnership demonstrates an understanding that security in the 21st century is not a zero sum game. When Australia and the European Union cooperate to strengthen cyber-resilience, both become more secure. When we collaborate on defence innovation, similarly, both benefit. When we work together to counter terrorism, foreign interference and online radicalisation, we strengthen the security of our respective regions and contribute to global stability. This is a positive sum partnership that advances our shared interests while respecting our respective sovereignty.

It also reflects the broader approach to statecraft pursued by our Albanese Labor government. The American scholar Joseph Nye described successful foreign policy as the effective combination of hard power and soft power—a concept that he called 'smart power'. And that's what our government is doing. On one hand, Labor is investing in Australia's hard power. We are delivering the most significant uplift in Australia's defence capability in generations through AUKUS, through long-range strike capabilities, through guided weapons manufacturing and through implementation of the National Defence Strategy and the Integrated Investment Program. On the other hand, we are investing in the relationships, partnerships and diplomatic engagement that amplify Australia's influence and expand our strategic options. We have rebuilt relationships across the Pacific, after years of the coalition neglecting and, at times, openly disparaging key regional partners. We have deepened engagement with South-East Asia, we have strengthened our relationships with partners across Europe and we have pursued what Foreign Minister Penny Wong has described as 'amplified middle-power diplomacy'. Together, these efforts represent smart power in action.

Every day, up in Darwin, I see the strategic importance of northern Australia in this endeavour. Darwin hosts the US Marines in the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, bringing together Australian and United States personnel in support of regional stability. Darwin is also home to Exercise Pitch Black, which is kicking off very soon—one of the world's premier air-combat exercises, bringing together air forces from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. In previous years we've even had the Luftwaffe from Germany come and contribute to those exercises, and it was great to meet them.

These activities demonstrate that Australia's security is built not only through the capabilities we possess, but through the partnerships that we cultivate. The Australia-European Union Security and Defence Partnership is another important step in that direction. It strengthens Australia's security, expands opportunities for Australian industry, reinforces our commitment to working with like-minded nations and demonstrates that, in a world of growing complexity, cooperation remains one of the most powerful tools available to enhance our nation's interests.

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