Panel: Australia and the Changing International Order, 2021–2025 (ii)
This chapter examines Australia's engagement with ASEAN and Southeast Asia during 2021–2025 amid growing uncertainty over the United States and the liberal international order. It argues that the Albanese Government significantly deepened regional engagement through diplomacy, security cooperation, trade and investment, development assistance, and people-to-people links. Initiatives included the 2024 ASEAN–Australia Special Summit, the establishment of the ASEAN–Australia Centre, implementation of the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, and a new security treaty with Indonesia. Together, these developments demonstrate that Southeast Asia became a central pillar of Australia's foreign policy during this period.
