Thank you, Prime Minister Anwar, for hosting this 5th annual ASEAN-Australia Summit and for your generous hospitality as the ASEAN Chair this year.
Australia and Malaysia are great friends.
As we celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations, we can reflect on the remarkable partnership that exists between our two nations.
Across trade and tourism, our education sector and our growing business to business connections, the Australia-Malaysia relationship is going from strength to strength.
Can I also thank President Prabowo for Indonesia’s ongoing and invaluable support as Australia’s ASEAN Country Coordinator.
I want to take this opportunity to welcome Timor-Leste's admission to ASEAN as its 11th member.
As both a near neighbour and longstanding friend, Australia strongly supports this outcome for ASEAN and Timor-Leste, and has been providing practical assistance to Timor-Leste with its accession.
ASEAN is central to the strength and success of our diverse and dynamic region.
At its best, it brings together our shared aspirations and our collective determination to meet our common challenges.
This is a forum where we can work together to build and sustain a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region for all our citizens.
I am pleased that today we have agreed the ASEAN-Australia Leaders’ Statement on Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management.
This important statement demonstrates our shared commitment to upholding a peaceful and stable Southeast Asia.
Guarding against conflict and other potential threats to the rules and norms that advance all of our interests.
As ASEAN partners, maintaining open and constructive dialogue is always valuable.
The Statement highlights ASEAN’s pivotal role in deepening mutual trust between member nations, to reduce the risk of misunderstanding, navigate differences and prevent escalation.
It draws from and builds on the Vision Statement that we as leaders issued at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit I hosted in Melbourne last year.
My Government is committed to deepening this economic engagement.
Seizing the opportunities for investment and trade that we identified through our regional strategy for 2040, titled: Invested.
And at a time of global economic uncertainty, Australia remains invested – and committed – to Southeast Asia’s growth and prosperity.
Three-quarters of our total overseas development assistance funding benefits our region.
Our $1.28 billion development program in Southeast Asia is about building economic resilience.
Embracing the opportunities of the digital transformation.
Supporting cleaner, cheaper energy to deliver stronger economies and a healthier environment.
And investing in better health services and outcomes for our neighbours.
Above all, Australia’s partnership with ASEAN is anchored in deep trust between our nations and enduring friendship between our peoples.
Just as our region’s prosperity has been created through shared opportunity.
Our security depends on our collective responsibility – and our shared agency.
We cannot succumb to the fatalism that assumes our future is pre-determined.
None of us are mere spectators.
We are participants, we are responsible, together we will shape our future.
We must work together to choose and build the security and prosperity we want for our citizens.
In this, we all have a part to play.
Thank you.