Bilateral relations
Australia and Singapore enjoy a longstanding, multifaceted relationship built on deep strategic trust. Australia was the second country to recognise Singapore when it became an independent nation in 1965, marking the beginning of a close and enduring friendship.
Since 2015, our ties have been underpinned by a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), driving substantive collaboration across defence, border security, trade, science and innovation, education, the digital economy, climate, and vibrant people-to-people links.
2025 marked a milestone year for Australia and Singapore – celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of our CSP.
At our 10th Annual Leaders' Meeting held in Australia on 8 October 2025, Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Wong reaffirmed our shared ambition by launching CSP 2.0, an ambitious and forward-looking framework guiding our engagement for 2025-2035.
Under five key pillars, CSP 2.0 takes our partnership to new heights – including through deepening defence cooperation, building resilient supply chains, accelerating our transition to net-zero, growing research and technology cooperation, and building on our strong education partnerships.
Our Prime Ministers meet each year at the Annual Leaders' Meeting (ALM) to reflect on our robust cooperation under CSP and chart the course for future progress.
ALM Joint Statements: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017.
Every two years, our Defence, Foreign and Trade Ministers come together at the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC) – a unique high-level dialogue mechanism established in 1996. The SAJMC serves as a platform for both nations to deepen bilateral cooperation and exchange perspectives on key regional and international developments.
SAJMC Joint Communiques: 2024, 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017.
Our cabinet ministers also meet regularly – whether through bilateral visits or at key regional and multilateral forums. This includes the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, a unique platform for debate among government ministers and senior officials, as well as business leaders and security experts, on Asia's developing security challenges.
Trade and investment
Our strong economic relationship is underpinned by the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), which was originally signed in 2003. SAFTA has undergone six revisions, with the most recent update in December 2020. This revision reflects the entry into force of the Australia‑Singapore Digital Economy Agreement, and updated SAFTA's Electronic Commerce chapter into a Digital Economy chapter.
Australia's prosperity and economic future is intimately linked with Southeast Asia, and through Invested: Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 we are expanding two-way trade and investment to build shared prosperity.
Australia and Singapore are both parties to the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP).
Australia and Singapore are also members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) which entered into force on 30 December 2018.
Australia-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) 2.0, 2025-35
On 8 October 2025, the Prime Ministers of Australia and Singapore agreed to an enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) to guide our bilateral cooperation from 2025 to 2035. Our enhanced CSP will better prepare our economies and societies for challenges and opportunities now and in the future and extends our cooperation further to engage effectively with our regional partners.
Ministerial-level visits
2025
- 6-9 October: Singapore Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Foreign Minister, and Manpower Minister for the Annual Leaders' Meeting and Guest of Government visit, Australia
- 3-5 August: Australian Governor-General, Singapore
- 31 May: Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence for Shangri-La Dialogue, Singapore
- 20 May: Australian Prime Minister, Singapore
2024
- December: Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee, Singapore
- May: Singaporean Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Development, Special Visits Program, Canberra
- June: Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism, Investment Mission, Singapore
- May: Australian Foreign Minister, Singapore
- April: Australian Assistant Minister for Maritime Week, Singapore
- April: Australian Minister for Education for the International Summit on the Teaching Profession, Singapore
- March: Singaporean Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Annual Leaders' Meeting and ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, Melbourne
- January: Australian Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, MFA Distinguished Visitors' Programme, Singapore
2023
- November: Singaporean Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence to observe the conduct of Exercise Wallaby 2023, Royal Australia Air Force Base Pearce
- November: Labor Julian Hill, S R Nathan Fellowship, Singapore
- September: South Australian Premier, Singapore
- October: Former Australian Prime Minister Howard, to speak at the Asia Future Summit, Singapore
- July: Australian Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Singapore
- July: Australian Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, S R Nathan Fellowship, Singapore
- July: Australian Minister for Industry and Science, Singapore
- June: Australian Prime Minister for the Annual Leaders' Meeting, Singapore
- May: Victorian Governor, Singapore
- May: Singaporean Minister for Defence, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore-Australia Senior Ministerial Committee, Canberra.
- April: Australian Minister for Resources, Singapore
- January: Australian Shadow Minister for Defence, Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship, Singapore
- January: Australian Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and Countering Foreign Interference, SR Nathan Fellowship, Singapore
2022
- November: South Australia Governor, led a trade mission, Singapore
- October: Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cyber Week, Singapore
- October: Singaporean Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Trade and Industry and members of Parliament, Annual Leaders' Meeting, Australia
- October: Tasmania Premier led trade mission to Singapore
- September: Singaporean Minister for Defence, Shoalwater Bay
- July: Australian Foreign Minister, Singapore
2020
- October: Australian Foreign Minister, Singapore
- January: South Australian Premier, Singapore