Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share 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.