Remarks to the launch of ANCORS Southeast Asia Maritime Institute

Thanks to the University of Wollongong’s Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, or ANCORS, and to University of Wollongong Malaysia for inviting me to launch the ANCORS Southeast Asia Maritime Institute.

I want to make some observations about the weight of this.

Growing up in Sabah, my hometown Kota Kinabalu was on the edge of the South China Sea.

From a very young age I learnt about how navigators and traders connected Borneo and the Malay peninsula to countries across the world bringing goods, people and ideas into Southeast Asia, forging one of the most dynamic areas in our region.

Malaysians have a long history as maritime leaders and innovators.

The establishment of this new institute is part of that historic tradition.

It demonstrates how Australia and Malaysia can work together, with our partners in Southeast Asia, to improve our collective maritime capabilities, deepen our understanding of international law, and help assure the rules and norms that support our region.

You see, we all have a responsibility to shape the region we want to share.

I use the phrase “peaceful, stable and prosperous.”

Maintaining this character is a continuous process. An ongoing process.

It requires us all to nurture and protect agreed rules, uphold international law, prevent conflict and build strategic trust.

And we want all countries, large or small, to operate by the same rules and norms.

These are principles embedded in our region.

And the countries of our region, including Australia and Malaysia, make an ongoing contribution to maintaining and promoting them.

Indeed Prime Minister Anwar’s Malaysia MADANI vision--which emphasises the importance of hormat or respect, keyakinan or trust, and cooperation--is deeply consistent with these principles.

Adherence to international rules and norms is more important than ever with the region's character under challenge.

As we have seen in the South China Sea, respect for the Law of the Sea has never been more important to our shared economic security and prosperity.

It is fundamental to the character of our region.

And it requires a new generation of scholars and practitioners to deepen their understanding of these rules and norms and put them into practice.

Which brings me to the importance of the University of Wollongong and ANCORS, and their world-leading role as a research centre and educator in maritime policy.

ANCORS has grown over the last 30 years to now have dozens of expert staff from across the globe delivering the highest quality maritime education and training.

It is one of four Australian universities with campuses in Malaysia which are contributing to meeting the needs of Prime Minister Anwar’s MADANI vision and our region’s needs.

The short course underway this week on Southeast Asian Women in Maritime Security is a prime example of the contribution this Institute will bring as a gathering point for maritime officials and experts from across Southeast Asia.

In addition to UOW, Monash has made important contributions in medical research, Swinburne is promoting renewables and sustainable energy through industry links and Curtin University’s aquaculture research is second to none.

The Institute will deliver training to officials from across the region on complex maritime legal and policy topics, including ocean governance, maritime domain awareness, maritime environmental protection, and the Law of the Sea.

And it will support regional leaders to further our shared objective of regional peace and stability.

The establishment of this Institute will complement the broader suite of maritime support for Malaysia and Southeast Asia announced by me and by Prime Minister Albanese when Prime Minister Anwar visited for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit and our Annual Leaders’ Meeting in Melbourne in March.

Underpinned by our bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Maritime Cooperation Package, Australian agencies are now working more closely than ever with Malaysian maritime agencies.

We share a common goal with Malaysia to strengthen the region’s maritime domain awareness, Law of the Sea and ocean governance capabilities – all vital for our shared economic security and prosperity.

Next year Malaysia is the ASEAN Chair, it is very exciting. We look forward to doing all we can to support your Chair priorities, including in the maritime space.

Because we recognise that ASEAN holds the centre of our region, and is key to its stability and security.

Friends, this institute will do important work to advance our common interests and further the kind of region we all want to live in.

And I look forward to seeing what we achieve for our region together.

Thank you.