Australia's Quad partnership with India, Japan and the United States is a key pillar of our Indo-Pacific agenda. The Quad is a diplomatic network of four countries committed to supporting an open, inclusive and resilient region. It complements our other bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation, including with ASEAN.

The Quad has a positive, practical agenda to respond to the defining challenges of our time, including COVID-19 vaccines, critical and emerging technology, cyber security, climate change, infrastructure, maritime security, countering disinformation, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The Quad Vaccines Partnership is expanding access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in the Indo-Pacific by boosting supply, sharing vaccine doses, and supporting vaccine rollouts across the region. Australia’s $100 million contribution will focus on vaccine procurement and ‘last-mile’ delivery support to Southeast Asia. For full details of Quad partners’ regional support see the Quad Partnership COVID-19 Dashboard.

Quad partners are steadfast supporters of ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN-led architecture and ASEAN’s Outlook on Indo-Pacific.

The Quad's origins date back to our cooperation in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami, which created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis around the Indian Ocean. At that time, Quad countries coordinated rapid humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Quad meetings and processes

Quad partners engage through four primary channels – Leaders, Foreign Ministers, Senior Officials, and Experts.

First in-person Quad Leaders' Summit: 24 September 2021

On 24 September (25 September AEST), President Biden hosted the first in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit with Prime Ministers Morrison, Modi and Suga in Washington. Leaders issued a Joint Statement and Summit Fact Sheet. The Summit followed leaders’ inaugural virtual meeting in March 2021 (see Joint Statement and Summit Fact Sheet [PDF]).

At the Summit, leaders outlined progress, and announced further initiatives, on existing cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines, critical and emerging technology, and combatting climate change. They also launched new Quad cooperation on infrastructure, cyber, the sustainable and stable use of outer space, and cultivating next-generation STEM talent.

Leaders have agreed to meet annually.

Foreign Ministers' Meetings

Quad Leaders’ meetings build on extensive engagement by Quad Foreign Ministers, who have met three times. The last Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held virtually on 18 February 2021, preceded by meetings in Tokyo in October 2020 and New York in September 2019.

Quad Foreign Ministers have used these meetings to discuss the region’s complex strategic challenges. Ministers lead a program of practical cooperation on other core regional priorities, including maritime security, countering disinformation, counter-terrorism and humanitarian and disaster relief.

Regular Senior Officials' Meetings

Eight Quad Senior Officials' Meetings have been held since November 2017. At these meetings, officials exchange strategic assessments and progress practical cooperation led by leaders and Foreign Ministers.

Experts’ engagement

Senior Quad experts engage regularly across the breadth of the Quad's practical cooperation agenda.

Key publications

September 2021 Quad Leaders’ Summit

• Opening Remarks by Prime Minister Morrison
• Quad Leaders' Joint Statement
• Quad Summit Fact Sheet

Media Releases and statements

• Quad Leaders’ Summit March 2021: Opening Remarks by PM Morrison
• Quad Leaders’ Summit March 2021: Joint Statement: 'The Spirit of the Quad'
• Quad Leaders’ Summit March 2021: Fact Sheet on Quad Summit Outcomes
• Quad Leaders’ Summit March 2021: Quad Leaders' Op-ed
• August 2021 Quad Senior Officials' Meeting
• February 2021 Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting
• December 2020 Quad Senior Officials' Meeting
• October 2020 Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting
• September 2020 Quad Senior Officials' Meeting
• November 2019 Quad Senior Officials' Meeting
• May 2019 Quad Senior Officials' Meeting
• November 2018 Quad Senior Officials' Meeting
• June 2018 Quad Senior Officials' Meeting
• November 2017 Quad Senior Officials' Meeting