Australia is investing $160 million over 10 years (2024 – 2034) to enhance our Southeast Asia Maritime Partnerships. This will expand Australia's maritime cooperation with regional partners and contribute to our interests in a peaceful, stable and prosperous region, consistent with the priorities of Southeast Asian countries. Australia is supporting government and institutional cooperation through practical maritime activities to help address shared challenges and uphold international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The partnerships support practical maritime activities including skills development, training, technical support, academic exchanges, policy dialogues and technology transfer. For example, maritime law enforcement and domain awareness through the Australian Border Force, conserving coral reefs through the Australian Institute of Marine Science, geospatial mapping and maritime boundaries through Geoscience Australia, marine protection and monitoring through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), and marine environmental governance through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

In addition, we continue a range of initiatives to support countries to manage their maritime domains and marine environments and uphold the law of the sea, including through:

• The $14.4 million Combatting IUU Fishing and Promoting Sustainable Fisheries in SEA Program delivered by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
• Building capacity in maritime law, governance and coordination through partnerships with the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, including:
  • Establishing the ANCORS Southeast Asia Maritime Institute in Malaysia
  • The Southeast Asia Women in Maritime Security Network
  • Short courses and postgraduate maritime law and security scholarships
• Fostering academic research and policy discussions on maritime security issues through the $2.4 million Blue Security initiative, a consortium of Australian universities led by La Trobe Asia.