This week in Australian foreign affairs: humanitarian assistance for PNG Landslide; new energy and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine; Wong issues statement on Hong Kong NSL47 verdicts; humanitarian assistance for Syrian crisis, and more.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles announced on 30 May that he will attend the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore from 31 May – 2 June 2024. Marles will deliver remarks during the third plenary session on “Building Cooperative Security in the Asia Pacific.” While in Singapore, Marles “will also participate in the 12th Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) Defence Ministers’ Meeting. The FPDA continues to provide a valuable contribution to regional security by deepening practical collaboration between member nations – Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.”

In a joint media release on 27 May with Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt, and Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy, Marles announced a humanitarian assistance package to Papua New Guinea to help manage the aftermath of landslide in Enga Province. The “Government will provide an initial $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance to support Papua New Guinea’s response to the landslide.” The request was made by the Government of Papua New Guinea. In addition, Australia will send technical experts “to provide incident management assistance, support geohazard assessments, and to inform early recovery efforts.” The government will also “provide emergency relief supplies to meet the immediate needs of local communities in the landslide area, such as shelter, hygiene kits and specific support for women and children.” The statement also announced “support to civil society organisations assisting in the initial response and recovery phase.” Meanwhile, the Australian Defence Force will continue to provide logistical support for the activities. Over 670 people are feared dead, with another 4000 requiring aid.

In response to questions of aid to Ukraine also on 27 May, Marles responded to charges that Australia wasn’t appropriately considering Ukraine’s requests for Australian coal. “Ukraine have, as you would imagine, needs across the board,” he stated, noting further that the Government is “providing the support that we can, in the most practical way, in a deep conversation with Ukraine about how that support can be done.” Marles highlighted Australia’s participation in a drone coalition led by Latvia and the United Kingdom, an artillery program with France, and the recent contribution of AUD$100 million last month.

Wong joined Conroy on 31 May to announce new energy and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. The “Government will provide a further $31 million of assistance to help meet Ukraine’s energy and humanitarian needs,” the statement read, including “$20 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, which will allow funds to be used efficiently and effectively to provide heat and electricity for Ukrainians.” $10 million will be provided for emergency humanitarian relief funding for “the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to increase access to essentials such as water, food and shelter.” An additional $1 million will be designated to “improve services for persons with disabilities in Ukraine, including those needing rehabilitation from war injuries.”

On 30 May, Wong released a statement expressing strong objections to the verdicts handed down in Hong Kong for some members of the NSL47, including a guilty verdict for Australian citizen Mr Gordon Ng. The Government raised consular and human rights concerns directly with the Hong Kong and Chinese government. “Australia has expressed its strong objections to the Hong Kong authorities on the continuing broad application of national security legislation to arrest and pressure pro-democracy figures, opposition groups, media, trade unions and civil society,” the statement said.

Also on 30 May, Wong joined the Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell and Minister Watt to confirm “China’s suspension of five meat processing establishments.” This brings the total to eight beef processing facilities that have now resumed their dealings with China. Two facilities remain suspended. The Government continues to “press China to remove the remaining trade impediments, including for Australia’s rock lobster industry.” Trade impediments “imposed by China prior to the May 2022 election [have] resulted in a $20.6 billion reduction in exports.”

Wong and Conroy announced further additional humanitarian assistance for the ongoing Syrian crisis on 27 May. The support has been announced for the “upcoming eighth Brussels Conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region, hosted by the European Union.” In Syria, the conflict has “endured for over a decade, leaving more than 13 million Syrians forcibly displaced, including as refugees in neighbouring countries and this additional assistance will be focused on addressing their most urgent needs.” Australia’s support will go toward providing “access to clean water, food assistance, childhood nutrition services, reproductive health and gender-based violence response services,” and builds on “the almost $570 million the Australian Government has contributed to support those affected by the Syria crisis since 2011.”

On 27 May, Wong Joined Farrell and Minister for Indigenous Affairs Linda Burney to recognise the landmark Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge that was agreed among members of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland. “The treaty establishes a new form of legal recognition for Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge in the international intellectual property system. For the first time, patent applicants will be required to disclose the origin or source of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge in patent applications.”

In a joint media release with Minister for Resources, Minister for Northern Australia Madeleine King on 28 May, Farrell announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the EU Executive Vice President and Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, and EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, to strengthen the supply of critical minerals. “The partnership follows the recent implementation of the EU’s new Critical Raw Materials Act,” which will create “new opportunities for the Australian mining and manufacturing sectors, as well as the essential workers in these industries.” Details of the Australia-EU strategic partnership on sustainable critical and strategic minerals is available on the Department of Industry, Science and Resources website.

Dr Adam Bartley is the managing editor for AIIA’s Australian Outlook and weekly columnist for The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and resident fellow at the Elliot School for International Affairs, the George Washington University. Adam also has positions as post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation RMIT University  and as program manager of the AI Trilateral Experts Group. He can be found on Twitter here.

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