Australia is a founding member, or a key supporter, of the principal regional organisations and other forums in the Indian Ocean:

• Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is the region's only regional forum linking most countries on the Indian Ocean rim through an annual Foreign Ministers' meeting.
• Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) seeks to increase maritime co-operation among navies of littoral states of the Indian Ocean region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regional maritime security issues.
• Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) implements conservation and management measures to ensure the sustainable and optimal utilisation of tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas.
• Indian Ocean MOU (IOMOU) on Port State Control aims to verify whether foreign vessels, comply with applicable international maritime conventions on safety, environmental and other issues.