New funding for maritime partnerships in Southeast Asia

The Australian Government will invest $64 million over the next four years, including $40 million in new funding, to enhance Australia's Southeast Asia Maritime Partnerships.

The new commitment, announced at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 2024, will expand Australia's maritime cooperation with regional partners and contribute to the security and prosperity of the region, consistent with the priorities of Southeast Asian countries.

Australia will expand government and institutional cooperation with Southeast Asian partners through practical maritime activities.

These include skills development, training and the sharing of technology. Examples of current partnerships include:

• conserving coral reefs through the Australian Institute for Marine Science
• maritime law enforcement and domain awareness through the Australian Border Force
• geospatial mapping through Geoscience Australia
• marine environmental governance through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; and
• marine protection through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

This cooperation supports the ASEAN Maritime Outlook and the maritime pillar of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

Australia is working closely with Southeast Asian partners to respond to shared maritime challenges and uphold international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

We will continue to cooperate on those challenges, which include law enforcement, domain awareness, sustainable marine resources, marine protection and conservation, and upholding the law of the sea.