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Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Australia has a long history of cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South East Asia’s primary regional institution and a respected participant in global affairs.

About ASEAN

Established in 1967, ASEAN’s founding members were Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Today, ASEAN comprises 10 countries: Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The association aims to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development through joint endeavours to promote a prosperous and peaceful community of South-East Asian nations. It also seeks to promote regional peace and stability through the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Australia’s relationship with ASEAN

Australia was ASEAN’s first dialogue partner — the first country ASEAN agreed to meet on a regular basis to discuss political, economic and functional cooperation. The first formal talks which brought together the then five members of ASEAN and Australia were held in Canberra in 1974, seven years after ASEAN was founded. ASEAN now has ten dialogue partners: Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) also has dialogue status.

Australia’s long standing partnership with ASEAN has been characterised by strong and friendly relations with the member countries of ASEAN, both individually and collectively. These relations have been based on mutual respect and shared interests. Today, Australia is an active partner of ASEAN through an institutional framework which includes the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN– Australia Forum, the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences, the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Free Trade Area–Closer Economic Relations (AFTA–CER) linkage and the ASEAN–Australia Development Cooperation Program Joint Planning Committee.

Over the years, Australia’s relationship with ASEAN has expanded and matured well beyond its initial development assistance focus. It now encompasses trade and investment, security, transnational issues (including terrorism), social policy, and people to people links through education, tourism and cultural exchange.

The importance of the multi-faceted engagement between Australia and ASEAN was acknowledged at the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference, held in Manila in 2007, when Australia and ASEAN signed a Joint Declaration on the ASEAN–Australia Comprehensive Partnership. The Plan of Action to implement the Comprehensive Partnership was adopted in November 2007 and provides a framework for future engagement, covering political and security, economic, socio-cultural and development cooperation.

ASEAN holds annual summits at Head of Government level. Additionally, ASEAN leaders meet with leaders of the ‘plus three’ countries (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea) as a group as well as individually. Australia participated in a leaders’ summit in Laos in November 2004 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of our dialogue relationship. Australia is also a member of the East Asia Summit, a regional leaders’ forum for strategic dialogue and action on key challenges facing the East Asian region. The summit includes the ten ASEAN countries plus Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.

Trade and investment

In 2006–07, Australia’s merchandise trade with ASEAN totalled $54 billion, with exports to ASEAN valued at $19 billion and imports at $35.9 billion. Major exports to ASEAN were crude petroleum, non-monetary gold, aluminium and copper. Principal imports were crude and refined petroleum, computers, motor vehicles for transporting goods and non-monetary gold. Over the same period, Australia’s exports of services to ASEAN were $6.5 billion while services imports were $7.9 billion. Australia’s total investment in ASEAN (portfolio and direct) as at the end of 2006 was $23.6 billion and ASEAN’s investment in Australia was $47.2 billion.

Australia, together with New Zealand, is currently negotiating a comprehensive, World Trade Organization-consistent free trade agreement (FTA) with ASEAN. When concluded, this agreement will further consolidate Australia’s economic integration with the region and complement existing FTAs with Singapore and Thailand, and the FTA under negotiation with Malaysia.

Education and tourism links

Australia is a leading provider of on-shore and off-shore education services to the region, with over 65 000 students from ASEAN countries studying at Australian educational institutions in 2007. Of this number, around 18 000 students were from Malaysia, 15 000 from Thailand and 12 000 from Indonesia. There was also strong growth in student numbers from the Philippines (by 24 per cent to over 1700) and Vietnam (by 30 per cent to over 7700).

Many Australian universities and education and training providers have set up campuses in or have cooperative education agreements with providers in ASEAN countries. Australia treasures the friendships that have been created through its long history of education cooperation with South-East Asia. In 2008, residents of ASEAN member countries will take up 1066 new scholarships and fellowships to study in Australia under the Australian Scholarships scheme. They are for PhD and Masters scholarships, research fellowships and executive awards. Australian Scholarships will also provide 20 scholarships and fellowships for Australians to study in ASEAN member countries, and support 113 student exchanges between ASEAN countries and Australia.

Other people to people links are strong too. For example, well over 600 000 tourists from ASEAN countries visited Australia in 2006. Cultural relations have also become a dynamic element in the people to people relations: tours by performing arts groups and cultural exhibitions are a regular feature of Australia’s cultural exchanges with ASEAN countries.

Defence and security

Australia’s relationship with ASEAN in the areas of defence and security is strong and diverse. Counter-terrorism cooperation, in particular, has expanded significantly since 11 September 2001 and the Bali bombings of October 2002. The ASEAN–Australia Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism was signed in July 2004. A Work Programme to Implement the Joint Declaration was finalised in June 2007. Australian agencies continue to work on capacity-building activities highlighted in the Work Programme with relevant ASEAN member states, in areas such as law enforcement, border control, transport security, terrorist financing and legislative frameworks. Australia has concluded Memoranda of Understanding on counter-terrorism with six ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Australia has contributed to regional security and stability through our extensive defence relationships. The Lombok Treaty, an historic Agreement on the Framework for Security Cooperation between Australia and Indonesia, came into force in February 2008. Australia and the Philippines signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement in May 2007. Australia has bilateral security dialogues with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

People smuggling and transnational crime

Cooperation between law enforcement authorities in Australia and ASEAN countries is expanding and has contributed to enhanced regional efforts to fight transnational crime, including drug trafficking and people smuggling. Regional cooperation to combat people smuggling was strengthened by the second Bali Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime held in April 2003.

Australia has supported the Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons (ARTIP) project, a five year $21 million activity that commenced in August 2006. Australia is also providing funding for a regional initiative to combat the production, use and trade of illicit drugs in South-East Asia. The initiative focuses on law enforcement, data collection and improved treatment and rehabilitation for addicts.

Development cooperation

Australia has worked in partnership with ASEAN for over 30 years to build economic cooperation and prosperity in the region. Our total development cooperation commitment to ASEAN countries in 2008–09 is estimated at over $902 million. This includes major bilateral programs for Indonesia ($462 million), the Philippines ($109.3 million), Vietnam ($93.1 million) and Cambodia ($55 million). It also includes significant regional initiatives, totalling $132.8 million in 2008–09, to combat transnational threats to development and to promote regional economic integration.

Phase I of the ASEAN–Australia Development Cooperation Program (AADCP)—totalling $45 million from 2002 to 2008—delivered a wide range of assistance to ASEAN. AADCP Phase II (AADCP II), totalling $57 million (2008 to 2015) supports ASEAN’s goal of establishing an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. The program assists poorer ASEAN members to meet UN Millennium Development Goals through stronger economic growth and integration. It represents a close partnership between Australia and ASEAN, managed jointly with the ASEAN Secretariat, and utilising ASEAN Secretariat systems. It will also provide high quality economic research and policy advice and implementation support on priority regional economic integration issues.

Further Information

This fact sheet is also available to download ( PDF)

Note: All monetary values are in Australian dollars unless otherwise stated. The term ‘billion’ means ‘a thousand millions’ (one billion therefore equals 1 000 000 000); the term ‘trillion’ means ‘a million millions’ (one trillion therefore equals 1 000 000 000 000).

Last updated August 2008