Previous Media Releases
2008 Media Releases
December 2008
- Taking Australian arts to the world, 31 December
- Signing of a Counter Terrorism Agreement with Bangladesh, 24 December
- Staff appointment, 24 December
- Joint media release - Expulsion from Fiji of Australia’s South Pacific Defence Advisor, 23 December
- Australia provides humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia and Sudan, 23 December
- Joint Statement 2008 - Australia-Japan Joint Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations, 19 December
- Australia assists victims of sectarian violence in northern Iraq, 19 December
- Diplomatic Appointment - Australian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO), 19 December
- Joint Statement to the media - Japan-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Meeting, 18 December
- Zimbabwe: Australia Strengthens Sanctions, Supports Cholera Response, 17 December
- Second Australia-Japan Joint Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations, 17 December
- Australian Relief Supplies for PNG Floods, 12 December
- Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Statement, 11 December
- Death of Ali Alatas, 11 December
- Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in New York, 11 December
- Australia Reaffirms its Commitment to Human Rights, 10 December
- Australia Provides Food Aid to Sri Lanka, 10 December
- Australia calls for responsible behaviour in the Southern Ocean, 10 December
- Diplomatic appointment to Bali, 10 December
- Visit to Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum Ministerial Contact Group, 10 December
- Australia Improves Effectiveness of Humanitarian Aid, 5 December
- Piracy in the Gulf of Aden, 5 December
- Australia signs historic Treaty on Cluster Munitions, 4 December
November 2008
- Visit to Belgium, 30 November
- Australia-UK Ministerial Dialogue, 28 November
- Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to South Africa, 25 November
- Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Bangladesh, 25 November
- Australia Addresses Violence Against Women In Our Region, 25 November
- Australia Provides $8 Million Emergency Aid for the People of Zimbabwe, 25 November
- Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Vanuatu, 21 November
- Australia Strengthens APEC, 20 November
- Joint Statement with Mexico's Minister for Public Education Josefina Vázquez Mota, 19 November
- Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, 18 November
- Visit to Mexico and APEC in Peru, 17 November
- Joint Ministerial Statement - People Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons - 9th Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum, 12 November
- Joint Ministerial Statement - 9th Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum, 12 November
- Journalism Award Fosters Indonesian-Australian Relationship, 12 November
- Australian support for 2009 Indonesian elections, 12 November
- 9th Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum, 11 November
October 2008
- Somalia Bombings, 31 October
- Australia-European Union Partnership Framework Launched, 29 October
- $10 Million in Humanitarian Assistance for the Palestinian Authority and Territories, 29 October
- Visit to Cyprus, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, and Paris, 26 October
- Australia marks United Nations Day, 23 October
- Australia helps bring former Khmer Rouge leaders to justice, 21 October
- Special Coordinator to Solomon Islands, 21 October
- Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 21 October
- Visit to Australia by the Slovakian Foreign Minister, 20 October
- World Food Day Highlights Australia's Commitment to Tackle Global Food Security, 16 October
- New Tongan High Commission, 13 October
- Meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama, 13 October
- Joint Statement on Zimbabwe with the Governments of Canada and New Zealand, 10 October
- Joint Ministerial Statement: Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting, 9 October
- Australia Provides $13 Million to Support Education in the Philippines, 9 October
- Visit to the Philippines, 8 October
- Bombing in Sri Lanka, 7 October
September 2008
- Children and Armed Conflict: Australia Endorses Paris Principles and Commitments, 26 September
- Australia to upgrade participation in interfaith dialogue, 26 September
- Australia extends support for the UN and Millennium Development Goals, 26 September
- Australia to help victims of Caribbean hurricanes and tropical storms, 26 September
- Friends of Pakistan Meeting, 23 September
- Supporting the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Principle, 25 September
- Meeting with Afghanistan Foreign Minister Spanta, 24 September
- Joint Ministerial Statement on the CTBT, 24 September
- Foreign Minister Chairs Ministerial Nuclear Test Ban Meeting, 24 September
- Australia to strengthen Iraqi agricultural sector, 24 September
- Australia Provides Humanitarian Relief for Ethiopia, 22 September
- Australia and Africa - Forging a New Partnership, 22 September
- Bombing in Pakistan, 21 September
- Visit to the United Nations General Assembly , 21 September
- Australia condemns Attack on US Embassy in Yemen, 18 September
- Australia Condemns Bombings in New Delhi, 15 September
- Australia to Help Flood-Affected Communities in Nepal, 12 September
- Australia to Help Flood-Affected Communities in India, 12 September
- Visit of Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to New Delhi from 8-12 September 2008, 12 September
- Australia Backs Indian Food Security Research, 10 September
- Australia Demonstrates Support for Cyprus Settlement Talks , 9 September
- Visit to India, 8 September
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to ASEAN , 5 September
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism, 5 September
- Statement: Australia-Russia civil nuclear cooperation agreement, 1 September
August 2008
- Australia carries MDG3 Torch, 28 August
- Joint Statement with His Excellency Mr Celso Amorim, Minister for External Relations of Brazil, 27 August
- Visit to Australia by H E Ambassador Celso Amorim Brazil’s Minister for External Relations , 26 August
- Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue, 26 August
- Death of Zambian President Mwanawasa, 20 August
- Statement from Mr Smith on the resignation of Musharraf , 18 August
- Celebrating the Australia-United States Relationship, 18 August
- Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme, 18 August
- Australian Humanitarian Assistance Following Conflict in Georgia, 14 August
- Appointment of Board of the Australia-Korea Foundation, 12 August
- Australia Increases Support for Food Security in Indonesia, 12 August
- Australia Indonesia Partnership Reaches 1,000 Schools - 1,000 to go, 12 August
- Mr Greg Urwin PSM, 11 August
- Australia Commits up to $2.5 billion (21.25 trillion Rupiah) to Indonesia, 11 August
- Visit to Indonesia, 10 August
- Invitation to United Nations Human Rights Experts, 8 August
- Diplomatic Appointment - High Commissioner to Canada, 6 August
- Diplomatic Appointment - High Commissioner to United Kingdom, 6 August
- Australia invited as Observer to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit , 5 August
- Secretary-General of the OECD Visiting Australia , 4 August
- IAEA-India Safeguards Agreement, 1 August
July 2008
- Cyprus: Australia Welcomes Announcement of Settlement Talks, 31 July
- Australia and Nauru sign Memorandum of Understanding , 31 July
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Vietnam, 30 July
- Diplomatic Appointment - High Commissioner to Singapore, 30 July
- Visit to Australia by Chile’s Minister for Foreign Affairs , 29 July
- Bomb Blasts in Istanbul, 28 July
- Australia Condemns Terrorist Attacks in India, 28 July
- Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to ASEAN, 24 July
- Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Observe Cambodian National Elections, 23 July
- Australia to Provide $30 Million in Further Assistance to Victims of Cyclone Nargis, 23 July
- Air Zimbabwe Flights, 22 July
- Foreign Minister to Visit Singapore for Asia-Pacific Regional Meetings, 21 July
- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to visit Perth , 19 July
- Australia ratifies strengthened nuclear security treaty , 18 July
- Australia Ratifies UN Disabilities Convention, 18 July
- Australian Government Welcomes Tenth Anniversary of the International Criminal Court, 17 July
- Australia’s Additional $50m for Food Crisis , 13 July
- Travel to Fiji and Solomon Islands, 13 July
- Appointment of UN Special Envoy for Cyprus & Appointment of Australian Special Representative for Cyprus , 13 July
- Attack on the Indian Embassy, Kabul, 8 July
- Joint Statement: Foreign Ministers of Australia and Thailand, 4 July
- Australia-Thailand Institute Made Permanent , 4 July
- Thai-Australia Partnerships Provide Assistance to the Needy , 4 July
- Australia Helping Vietnam Fight Corruption, 1 July
- Australia to Help Improve Reliability of Mekong Rural Electricity Supplies, 1 July
- Australia and the EU Sign Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement , 1 July
June 2008
- Foreign Minister to Visit Vietnam and Thailand, 30 June
- Government Agrees to Acting High Commissioner for Fiji, 30 June
- Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to Iran, 30 June
- Australia to Participate in Shanghai World Expo 2010 , 29 June
- DPRK Declaration of Nuclear Programs, 27 June
- Trilateral Strategic Dialogue: Joint Statement, 27 June
- Trilateral Strategic Dialogue with Japan and the United States, 25 June
- Zimbabwe: Opposition withdrawal from presidential poll , 23 June
- Australia-India Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue , 23 June
- Visit to Australia by the Indian Minister for External Affairs, 22 June
- Australia Increases Response to China's Earthquake, 20 June
- Meeting with United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste, 19 June
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Thailand, 16 June
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Argentina, 16 June
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Iraq, 16 June
- Australia pledges $250 million in further assistance for Afghanistan , 12 June
- Death of Joseph Kabui, President of the Autonomous Government of Bougainville, 7 June
- Australian Food Assistance to Pakistan, Zimbabwe and North Korea, 6 June
- Bombing of Danish Embassy in Islamabad, 2 June
- Foreign Minister's Travel to Italy, The Vatican and the United Kingdom, 2 - 7 June, 2 June
May 2008
- Diplomatic Appointment - Consul-General in Shanghai, 30 May
- Diplomatic Appointment - Consul-General, Ho Chi Minh City, 30 May
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Poland, 30 May
- Fifth Anniversary of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), 28 May
- Australia Regrets Extended Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, 28 May
- $4.5 Million to Assist Global Efforts on Deforestation, 26 May
- Bob McMullan to Represent Australia at UN-ASEAN Conference in Rangoon, 24 May
- Australia Welcomes Agreement on Lebanon, 22 May
- Fiji: Threats to High Commission Staff , 20 May
- Further Australian Response to China's Earthquake, 20 May
- Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions , 20 May
- Re-engagement with United Nations on Torture , 17 May
- Australian Emergency Relief for China Earthquake, 16 May
- Burma referendum and humanitarian assistance , 16 May
- Threats to Australian High Commissioner and his staff , 15 May
- Robb Wrong on DFAT Staff, 15 May
- Australian Selected for UN Position, 14 May
- Australia Welcomes Pakistan's Re-Admission to the Councils of the Commonwealth, 14 May
- Australia Condemns Bombings in Jaipur, 14 May
- Delivering on Election Commitments - Budget 2008-09, 13 May
- Foreign Affairs and Trade Portfolio - Budget 2008-09, 13 May
- Shanghai World Expo 2010 - Australia's Participation, 13 May
- 2008-09 International Development Assistance Budget , 13 May
- China Earthquake, 13 May
- Australian Government Urges Countries to Bring the Ban on Nuclear Testing into Force, 12 May
- Australia Increases Support for Burma Cyclone Victims, 11 May
- Travel Advice for Lebanon, 9 May
- Burma: Cyclone Nargis, 9 May
- Australian Assistance for Victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma, 7 May
- Foreign Minister to Visit Hong Kong, Republic of Korea and Japan , 4 May
- Government Welcomes Convention on Disabilities, 3 May
- Australia To Take Action Against Torture, 2 May
- Burma, 2 May
- Deportation of Evan Hannah from Fiji, 2 May
- Deportation of an Australian from Fiji, 1 May
- Burma: Constitutional referendum, 1 May
- $30 Million for the Emergency Appeal by the World Food Programme, 1 May
April 2008
- Human rights abuses in Zimbabwe signal need for arms moratorium , 30 April
- Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Russia, 30 April
- Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Cyprus, 30 April
- Dialogue on Tibet welcome, 26 April
- Travel to Papua New Guinea, 22-25 April 2008, 22 April
- Return of Japanese Whaling Fleet to Port, 15 April
- Zimbabwe Elections, 15 April
- Australia Welcomes Holding of Watershed Elections in Nepal , 11 April
- Australia Condemns Killing of Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister , 7 April
- Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to Burma, 4 April
- Australia to Send Observers to Nepal’s Elections, 4 April
- Australia Marks Mine Action Day with Funding for Further Landmine Clearance in Afghanistan, 4 April (AusAID)
- Australia to Help Peace-building and Disaster Management in East Timor, 4 April (AusAID)
March 2008
- Comment on Abu Bakar Bashir, 24 March
- Continuing Violence in Tibet, 20 March
- Scholarships support emerging leaders in Indonesia and PNG , 18 March
- Situation in Tibet, 15 March
- Appointment of UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, 12 March
- Cricket Australia Postpones Tour, 11 March
- Incident in the Southern Ocean - Update, 7 March
- Incident in the Southern Ocean, 7 March
- Sentence of the Melasti three, 6 March
- Statement by Australia to the Human Rights Council: Seventh Session, 5 March 2008 , 6 March
- Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Egypt, 6 March
- IN2OZ an Open Invitation to Enjoy Australian Creativity, 6 March
- Further UNSC Resolution on Iran's Nuclear Activities, 4 March
- Situation in Gaza and southern Israel, 3 March
- Incident in the Southern Ocean, 3 March
February 2008
- Australia Welcomes Power Sharing Agreement in Kenya, 29 February
- Completion of the Mission of the Oceanic Viking , 28 February
- 35th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations With Vietnam , 26 February
- Outcomes of Visit to Solomon Islands, 22 February
- Call for Restraint in the Southern Ocean, 22 February
- Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations 2008 , 22 February
- Travel to Solomon Islands, 20 February
- Australia Recognises the Republic of Kosovo, 19 February
- Extension of the Torres Strait Mining Moratorium, 12 February
- Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in Chicago , 11 February
- Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in Hong Kong , 8 February
- Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to The Netherlands , 8 February
- Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Greece, 8 February
- New Government in Thailand, 7 February
- Enhancing Security Cooperation with Indonesia, 7 February
- Visit to Australia by Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr Hassan Wirajuda , 6 February
- Australia welcomes new support for the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty , 5 February
- Australia condemns suicide attack in Dimona, 5 February
- Visit to Australia by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi , 4 February
- New Tax Treaty Signed with Japan, 1 February
January 2008
- Continuing Crisis in Kenya, 30 January
- Travel to the United States and Japan, 23 January
- Assistance for Bangladeshi communities affected by Cyclone Sidr , 23 January
- Thai Parliamentary Elections, 22 January
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to the Philippines, 22 January
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Afghanistan, 22 January
- Australia lifts visa restrictions for Solomon Islands MPs, 21 January
- Incident in the Southern Ocean, 16 January
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Budget Savings, 15 January
- Attack on the Serena Hotel, Kabul , 15 January
- Japan – Passage of New Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law , 12 January
- Diplomatic Appointment - High Commissioner to Ghana, 10 January
- Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to France, 10 January
- Australian humanitarian aid for Kenya, 6 January
- Australia concerned at recent developments in Sri Lanka, 6 January
- Violence in Kenya, 4 January
- Action on Japanese ‘scientific whaling’ , 4 January