News, speeches and media

Aotearoa New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Nanaia Mahuta and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, met in Wellington today for the biannual Australia - Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Minister Consultations.

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

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

The Australian Government has placed sanctions on 11 additional Russian banks and government entities, with the majority of the country’s banking assets now covered by our sanctions along with all of the entities that handle Russia’s sovereign debt.

Following advice of Shane Warne’s tragic death overnight, DFAT officials will arrive in Koh Samui today to provide further assistance.

The Australian Government condemns President Putin's declaration today that the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine are independent states.

The Australian Government joins the United States and the United Kingdom in publicly attributing the cyber attacks against the Ukrainian banking sector on 15 and 16 February 2022 to the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

I will visit the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Poland, France, the Czech Republic and Laos to discuss international security and advance cooperation with European and other close partners in response to shared strategic challenges, including in the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan will travel to India today to advance negotiations on a free trade agreement and promote Australia as a premium destination for students and tourists.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss have agreed to closer cooperation to offer clean, reliable and transparent finance for investment in infrastructure that meets the needs and priorities of our Indo-Pacific partners.