Today marks one year since Australian citizen, Dr Yang Jun, faced a closed trial in Beijing on national security charges. One year on, Dr Yang is yet to learn the outcome. The Australian Government is very concerned about this delay. 

Professor Anne Orford and Associate Professor Rain Liivoja have been appointed as DFAT’s Visiting Legal Fellows for 2022-2023.

On Thursday, 26 May, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong will travel to Fiji to strengthen our Vuvale partnership and to discuss how we can best secure our region and help build a stronger Pacific family.

On 24 May 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida hosted the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo, with Prime Minister Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Modi and US President Biden. Foreign Minister Wong accompanied Prime Minister Albanese. Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi, Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Blinken accompanied their leaders. Leaders acknowledged progress the Quad had made, and announced further Quad initiatives on health security, climate change, maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, cyber, space and infrastructure.

On 23 May 2022, Australia joined the United States and 11 other partner countries in launching the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

“We express our unwavering support for APEC and are fully committed to helping Thailand, as APEC Chair in 2022, deliver a successful host year. 

On 6 May, Australian and Chinese officials held bilateral virtual talks on the Pacific.

The 13th meeting of the India-Australia Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism was held in person on 4 May, 2022.

The Australian Government has imposed targeted financial sanctions on a further 147 individuals in response to Russia’s illegal war, comprising Russian senators and family members of President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov.

Australia is deeply disappointed by the signing of a security cooperation agreement between Solomon Islands and China, announced by the Chinese Government.

The federal election has been announced and will be held on 21 May 2022. If you’ll be overseas on this date, it’s important that you plan ahead to ensure your vote is counted.

Further information on options available to Australians voters overseas is available on the Australian Electoral Commission and Smartraveller websites

Australia will provide $2.5 million to boost food security in Sri Lanka through the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Australian Government and the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu have reached an important milestone, signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the long-term operation of the Pacific Fusion Centre in Port Vila.

Australia will partner with the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence to help strengthen NATO's capacity to address hybrid threats and to counter disinformation.

The Australian Government has decided to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on a further 67 individuals for their role in Russia’s unprovoked, unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The Australian Government is pleased to host India's Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal during his visit to Australia.

The Australian Government has now ratified the most contemporary international labour standard to address forced labour, reflecting its longstanding commitment to combatting modern slavery in all of its insidious forms. 

The Australian Government will prohibit the export of luxury goods to Russia, including wine, high value cosmetics and parts for luxury vehicles.

Australia will prohibit the export of certain luxury goods to Russia from 7 April 2022.

I will travel tomorrow to Brussels for a meeting of NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers to discuss our coordinated international response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and other global security challenges.

Reforms to benefit employers, workers and countries alike under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme have been announced by the Australian Government.

The recently signed trade deal between Australia and India will boost the Australian mining sector and create new jobs and opportunities in both countries.

The recently signed trade deal between Australia and India will help unlock the full potential of the education relationship between both countries, creating jobs and opportunities in Australia.

The Australian Government approved a $1.25 billion loan through the Critical Minerals Facility to Australian company Iluka Resources, to develop Australia’s first integrated rare earths refinery in Western Australia.

Australia today signs an historic trade agreement with India, the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, that will further strengthen our relationship while making Australian exports to India cheaper and creating huge new opportunities for workers and businesses.

The Australian Government will contribute an additional $85 million and offer at least 10 million vaccine doses to the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment (AMC) to help lift global vaccination rates, guard against future variants and further protect the health security of Australia’s region.

The Australian Government is cutting red tape, improving access to markets and supporting new trade opportunities and jobs through its Digital Trade Strategy.

In Beijing, Australian citizen Ms Cheng Lei faced a closed trial on charges of illegally supplying state secrets overseas. At the end of proceedings, the court deferred its verdict.

Ms Harinder Sidhu will be Australia’s next High Commissioner to New Zealand.

Australia and Papua New Guinea have signed the second bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under the new Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.

The Australian Government is taking further action to increase the economic costs to Russia following its illegal invasion of Ukraine, supported by Belarus, by applying an additional tariff of 35 per cent for all imports from Russia and Belarus.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment Dan Tehan met on March 30 in Washington D.C. for the inaugural Australia-U.S. Strategic Commercial Dialogue (AUSSCD).

The 2022-23 Budget provides funding to support the Government’s pro-free trade agenda, makes Australian exports more globally competitive, improves access to global supply chains and backs Australian businesses and jobs.

Australia is a strong and reliable partner and will continue to support our Indo-Pacific neighbours as they recover from the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian crises and natural disasters.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Dan Tehan, and United States Trade Representative, Katherine Tai, have released a joint statement after meeting in Washington to discuss a wide range of global trade issues.

Minister Payne announces the first set of Australian Magnitsky-style listings under the Government’s thematic sanctions framework, targeting Russian individuals responsible for the corruption that Sergei Magnitsky uncovered and those complicit in his subsequent mistreatment and death.

Australia and the UK have announced joint plans to provide humanitarian assistance to people in Ukraine impacted by President Putin’s illegal war.

Australia has signed with Vietnam the first bilateral Memorandum of Understanding under the Australian Agriculture Visa Program.

As part of the inaugural Strategic Economic Dialogue with the United States, Minister Tehan is leading a delegation of CEOs from the critical minerals and rare earths sector to take part in a Critical Minerals Roundtable with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

On Armed Forces Day, we remember those killed and displaced by violence over the last year, including at least 100 people killed on this day alone one year ago.

The guidelines for the Government’s third round of the Consumer Travel Support Program (CTSP) have been released.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan will travel to the United States to participate in the inaugural Strategic Economic Dialogue with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

The Australian Government has been notified by Chinese authorities that Australian citizen, Ms Cheng Lei, will face trial on 31 March 2022.