Australia is invested, engaged and committed to Southeast Asia. The Australian Government has made deepening our engagement with the region a priority. Australia and Southeast Asia are working together to create a peaceful, stable and prosperous region, through continuing our support for ASEAN and ASEAN-led architecture, enhanced trade and investment ties, and a high-quality development program that meets the region's highest needs.

Australia's security, prosperity, and economic future are intrinsically linked to Southeast Asia. Our connections go beyond geography, with enduring ties across family, business, education, tourism and more. Australia is a reliable partner Southeast Asia can count on, and we are unwavering in our support for Southeast Asia's growth and prosperity.

To deliver against its commitment, and in addition to the package of initiatives announced at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit (4-6 March 2024), the Australian Government has:

• Undertaken, since May 2022, 87 outbound bilateral visits to Southeast Asia by Australian ministers (as of 28 August 2025).
• Agreed to upgrade our relationships with Brunei, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam and enhance the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to ensure we are all positioned to meet shared challenges.
• Increased ODA to an estimated $1.28 billion in 2025-26, in line with the additional $470 million in ODA to Southeast Asia over four years.
• Expanded the capitalisation of Australia's $250 million impact investment fund, Australian Development Investments (ADI) to mobilise more private sector finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the majority of investment in Southeast Asia.
• Appointed Nicholas Moore AO as Australia's Special Envoy for Southeast Asia, launched Invested: Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 to grow two-way trade and investment with the region, and delivered programs in line with Invested's recommendations.
• Established and continued to expand DFAT's Office of Southeast Asia, including to continue our support for Timor-Leste on its journey towards ASEAN accession and beyond.

The Government is also:

• Investing $200 million into an Australia-Indonesia Climate and Infrastructure Partnership to support Indonesia's clean energy transition.
• Supported more students from the region to study in Australia, including offering 2,404 Australia Awards Scholarships for emerging Southeast Asian leaders in 2024, and bringing the total number of Aus4ASEAN Scholarships awarded since 2023 to 232.
• Offering new specialised scholarships complementing the Australia Awards scholarships program, accessible to Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
• Designing a new scholarships program for Southeast Asian partners to offer more Australian education and training opportunities to the region.
• Doubling the number of Canberra Fellowships Program visits from the Indo-Pacific, expanding to around 20 visits per year.
• Implementing a new Southeast Asia Government-to-Government Partnerships program to deepen government agencies' relationships in the region.
• Strengthening business, education, cultural and community connections through our new ASEAN-Australia Centre.
• Working with the Mekong subregion to tackle shared and transboundary challenges, including investing an additional $222.5 million from 2024/25 to 2028/29 through the Mekong-Australia Partnership.
• Investing $64 million over four years in our Southeast Asia Maritime Partnerships, expanding our practical maritime cooperation to contribute to the security and prosperity of the region.
• Working with eight Southeast Asian economies and ASEAN through Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I), supporting partners to manage and deliver new infrastructure worth over $50 billion annually.