Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning it was delightful to welcome Prime Minister Anutin of Thailand to Australia. It is his first visit here as prime minister, and it comes as our two nations approach the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year—three-quarters of a century in which we have built deep connections based on friendship and goodwill. As friends, partners and neighbours, we have worked across trade and investment, law enforcement, education, agriculture, innovation and energy. It is a relationship that we value deeply and one that continues to pay dividends for both of our peoples.

Today, Prime Minister Anutin and I discussed how we can make an even stronger contribution to a peaceful, stable and prosperous region. One way is through combating transnational crime, continuing and expanding the excellent cooperation between the Australian Federal Police and the Royal Thai Police. We agreed to elevate our defence relationship by committing to a biannual defence ministers meeting, and, in this time of global uncertainty, we agreed to coordinate closely to ensure supply chains remain open, secure and resilient. Thailand is Australia's fourth-largest trading partner in South-East Asia, and our investment links run into the billions of dollars on both sides. Enhancing the strength of our economic ties is a top priority for this government and part of our South-East Asia economic strategy to 2040, developed under the leadership of Nicholas Moore. There is much in the world right now that is uncertain, but our relationship with Thailand is certainly not. This is a relationship that goes back so many years.

My first visit to Thailand was a great privilege. It was made with former prisoners of war including 'Weary' Dunlop, 'Bluey' Rutherford, Tom Uren and others. I went to the opening of Hellfire Pass in Kanchanaburi and, indeed, took a trip down the River Kwai on a long boat with Sir John Carrick, whom I got to know. These amazing men, most of whom have passed now, had something in common apart from their solidarity, camaraderie with each other and extraordinary overcoming of hardship; it was their thanks for the Thai people who smuggled them in with a bit of food and water and cared for them. That is something that we should never forget about the Thai people—the debt that we owe them, forged at our darkest moment, which, in peacetime, continued to develop to the point where, today, we are very close friends indeed.

That relationship will continue through the meetings that will be held. The prime minister will attend the pre-COP in Fiji to talk about our common interests in the region in dealing with climate change, but we'll continue to engage right across the board on the full suite of measures. As two great democracies, we have much to give each other, and it is to our mutual benefit.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) | Link to this | Hansard source

I associate the opposition with the fine words of the Prime Minister, and, on behalf of the coalition and the federal opposition, I also warmly welcome His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, his wife and the entire Thai delegation to our parliament. It was a great pleasure to meet with His Excellency earlier today, along with members of my team, the shadow ministers for foreign affairs and for defence and the shadow assistant minister for international development and the Indo-Pacific. The coalition is very pleased to see our two countries deepen their partnership and collaboration because of His Excellency's visit this week. Australia and Thailand elevated our bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership in 2020 under the former coalition government. We've had a free-trade agreement in place now for more than two decades that serves our countries and our peoples well, as has the economic cooperation agreement that was signed in Bangkok in 2022.

The coalition's thoughts are with all the Thai families who lost loved ones earlier this month in the school shooting on the outskirts of Bangkok. Australia has known similar mass shootings, of course, and I commend His Excellency for the leadership he has displayed in the wake of that tragedy. As His Excellency rightly acknowledged at the ASEAN Future Forum in June, much of the world is becoming more fragmented, more polarised and more uncertain. The coalition and federal opposition are deeply concerned about China's recent test launch of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile in the Pacific, and we welcome all nations of our region calling out and condemning acts of coercion or aggression, whatever the source. At a time of regional tension, I commend His Excellency for his determination to find a peaceful solution to Thailand and Cambodia's border disputes. We hope this current ceasefire can turn into a lasting peace.

It's been eight years since Australian and Thai heroes rescued a boys soccer team who had become trapped in a cave in northern Thailand. That evacuation was extraordinary and a defining moment of friendship between our two great countries. Today, we salute those heroes and acknowledge our abiding friendship. His Excellency and the Thai delegation are most welcome guests in our country.