52nd anniversary of ASEAN, Albert Hall, Canberra

[E&OE]

I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal People, and pay my respects to their elders, past and present, emerging leaders and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders gathered here today.

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome.

Listening to the ASEAN Anthem reminded me that learning a people’s language is a great way to begin to understand their culture. And within a premier representative group such as ASEAN, being able to understand the different cultures and appreciate both the similarities and differences in them, helps to achieve peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

There are two lines in the ASEAN Anthem that, to me, are especially significant:

• “ASEAN — we are bonded as one.”
• “We dare to dream; we care to share.”

That spirit and those ideals have been integral to the success of ASEAN for more than half a century.

ASEAN was established in Bangkok on 8 August 1967 with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration by representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Its goal was to have a union of Southeast Asian nations with one vision, one identity and one community.

That community has now grown to 10 Member States, with the addition of Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

This strong association helps to build an inclusive Southeast Asian voice that has regional and global influence.

Australia became the first of ASEAN’s ten dialogue partners in 1974.

Since 2013, we have had a resident ambassador accredited to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.

I congratulate His Excellency and ASEAN Ambassadors on last week’s official opening of the new ASEAN Secretariat building in South Jakarta  to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of ASEAN.

I note the comments of the ASEAN Secretary-General who said the new building will ‘create more opportunities for meetings and face-to-face interactions that will further deepen our political, economic and social ties.’

In 2014, Australia and ASEAN entered into a Strategic Partnership and agreed to commence biennial leaders’ summits in 2015.

Australia and ASEAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation to Counter International Terrorism at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Sydney in March 2018.

And, this year, ASEAN adopted a vision statement, ‘Partnership for Sustainability’, which aims to ensure sustainable security and economic growth through the deepening of strategic trust.

Australia supports and values enormously its dialogue partnership with ASEAN.

ASEAN sits at the nexus of the Indo-Pacific — geographically, diplomatically, strategically and economically. ASEAN’s proximity to Australia and location at the junction of the Indian and Pacific Oceans means that Australia’s relationship with ASEAN inextricably links to the stability and prosperity of Southeast Asia, championed by ASEAN.

The economic growth and regional stability the region has seen in the past 50+ years, is a credit to ASEAN and its member states’ commitment to multilateral diplomacy. We are conscious that this peace and stability owes much to the efforts of its leaders and the principles of ASEAN.

ASEAN-centred but internationally-facing forums such as the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum provide Australia and its closest partners with a mechanism for productive bilateral and multilateral engagement in the region.

The next few years will be critical to achieving a collective future economic prosperity as we navigate in a collaborative manner an uncertain world.

Congratulations to ASEAN on its 52nd anniversary.

[Ends]