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 outline how ASEAN has supported stability in the region and how Australia is contributing to these efforts?

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

I thank Senator Reynolds for her question and for her interest in the strategic issues, particularly around ASEAN. Indeed this week, ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, celebrates its 50th anniversary. Australia congratulates all ASEAN members on this important milestone.

Australia can be rightly proud of our history of supporting ASEAN. We became the first of their 10 dialogue partners in 1974. ASEAN has played a pivotal role in maintaining peace across South-East Asia. In fact, for over a quarter of a century, ASEAN has been free of major interstate conflict. That stability and prosperity hasn't happened by chance. It's a result of concerted and sustained effort to set and to live by the rules that govern economic integration and security cooperation.

The ASEAN Regional Forum was founded in 1994, and it remains the region's largest multilateral security forum, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting—the ADMM-Plus, as it is known—framework was formed in 2010 and has had great success in fostering practical military cooperation.

As we stated in the 2016 Defence White Paper, Australia strongly supports the contribution of the ASEAN-led regional security architecture for both security and stability in South-East Asia. In March next year, Australia will host the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Sydney. That summit will include a counterterrorism conference. This will be an historic opportunity to strengthen Australia's strategic partnership with ASEAN and deliver tangible, economic and security benefits to Australia. Counterterrorism efforts within the region are matters on which the Attorney-General, myself, the foreign minister and the Prime Minister are particularly focused, and the conference will provide a very special opportunity to pursue that.

Stephen Parry (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

I thank the minister for that response. Can she also advise the Senate what the current focus is of Australia's defence engagement with ASEAN?

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

Our engagement with our ASEAN counterparts complements our other strong defence partnerships across the region. This government prioritises enhancing our participation in the ASEAN Defence Minister's Meeting Plus. The ADMM-Plus itself focuses on very practical cooperation in fields which include counterterrorism, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping. It's been particularly successful in holding important major multilateral exercises in these areas, including, for example, the maritime security and counterterrorism exercises held in Singapore and in Brunei just last year. We have helped build the region's collective capacity to combat terrorism as the co-chair, with Singapore, of the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group On Counter-Terrorism from 2014 to 2017, in which we promoted regional cooperation to combat the threat particularly posed by returning foreign fighters. We're now co-chair of the Experts' Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations with our close regional partner and friend Indonesia. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (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 also advise the Senate how Australia's plan for future defence cooperation with ASEAN will strengthen regional stability?

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

It's true to say that our economic and our security interests remain inextricably linked with the countries of South-East Asia, and strong ASEAN security architectures are vital to long-term regional stability and security. As the strategic complexity of our region increases, ASEAN will need to find new and better ways to build a consensus to meet those diverse challenges. The best way for us to defend against those challenges is, indeed, by strengthening regional cooperative mechanisms. That's why we are increasing our regional defence engagement and working to strengthen those regional frameworks. They are frameworks which complement our already strong bilateral defence partnerships. Our defence planning reflects the importance that the Turnbull government places on these pieces of regional security architecture, and we'll continue to maintain Australia's commitment to constructive regional dialogue and practical cooperation, and continue to contribute ADF assets, expertise and personnel to regional military exercises.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.