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This week we will travel to Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Palau on the first bipartisan visit to Pacific island countries since 2019.

As a member of the Pacific family, Australia’s commitment to working with Pacific partners to achieve our shared aspirations and address our shared challenges is bipartisan.

We will meet Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, FSM President David W. Panuelo and Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., to discuss their nations’ development objectives, the existential threat of climate change, and key regional security issues.

On the trip, we will also meet with traditional leaders to listen and learn about their priorities and discuss the Australian Government’s efforts to embed First Nation’s perspectives, experiences and interests into our international engagement.

In Vanuatu, we look forward to the official handover ceremony for the newly-constructed Mala Base Wharf and police boat RVS Mataweli, as part of Australia’s enduring cooperation on shared regional security interests.

We will also meet with ni-Vanuatu entrepreneurs who have participated in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and returned home to invest their earnings, put new skills to work and contribute to local economic growth.

In FSM we will mark 35 years of diplomatic relations, building on decades of cooperation in the Blue Pacific. We will visit an elementary school to see the positive support Australia provides for FSM’s education sector.

In Palau, we look forward to formally launching Tamanu and Tupaia; the digitisation of clinical patient information and data. We will visit a solar project supported by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific.

Australia is committed to working with our Pacific partners to achieve our shared vision for a peaceful, prosperous and resilient region.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong said:

“I am pleased we are delivering on the Albanese Government’s promise to reinstate bipartisan parliamentary delegation visits, demonstrating Australia’s enduring commitment to strengthening our Pacific partnerships and addressing regional challenges.”

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP said:

“We are committed to listening and learning from the Pacific family, ensuring Pacific priorities are at the forefront of our engagement and that our partnerships meet genuine needs and deliver long-term benefits.”

Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham said:

“This is a welcome opportunity to again demonstrate that Australia’s engagement with our Pacific neighbours is of the highest priority and transcends domestic politics. With genuine challenges facing our region I look forward to listening and learning from Pacific leaders and communities, while also seeing some of the results of Australia’s partnerships with them.”

Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Michael McCormack said:

“This bi-partisan trip reaffirms to the Pacific that regardless of who is in Government in Australia, our collective priority is working collaboratively with our neighbours to secure the best outcome for our region.”

Clough falling into voluntary administration may be the final hope for the world’s oldest and largest collection of rock art.

As a result of the administration, Perdaman’s urea plant in the Burrup Peninsula is facing delays. This may be the circuit breaker required to find a new location for the project and protect First Nations cultural heritage.

Greens spokesperson for resources and Yamatji-Noongar Woman Senator Dorinda Cox said:

“Perdaman’s urea plant has not obtained free, informed prior consent from Traditional Owners. The Minister for Water and Environment, Tanya Plibersek, needs to stop the project going ahead and find a new location for the plant. 

“Murujuga contains more than a million rock art engravings dating back 50,000 years, as well as lore grounds and songlines. It’s a sacred site for Traditional Owners facilitating connection to Country, culture and spirituality.

“Now that the final investment decision on the plant has been delayed, the federal government could save the $220 million it promised to help with construction. As well as the 650,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year that the plant will emit. 

“This is the final opportunity for the Albanese government to do the right thing and prevent another Juukan Gorge disaster. We need to preserve the sacred rock art from destruction and preserve First Nations cultural heritage, as was outlined in the government’s response to ‘A Way Forward: Final report into the destruction of Indigenous heritage sites at Juukan Gorge’.”

Today the Australian Government officially opened Australia’s new Embassy in Bern, Switzerland.

The opening of the Embassy by the Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell marks a significant milestone in Australia’s relationship with Switzerland and demonstrates the importance we place on deepening our engagement with the Swiss Government and people.

In 2021 Switzerland was Australia’s 11th largest source of investment with the total stock of Swiss investment in Australia valued at over $69 billion, Switzerland was also Australia’s 19th largest two-way trading partner.

Australia’s presence in Switzerland now includes the Embassy in Bern, the Austrade Office in Zurich and Australia’s Permanent Mission and Consulate-General in Geneva.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong said:

“Our partnership with Switzerland dates back over 60 years, and the opening of the Bern embassy is a testament to our enduring relationship and close cooperation.”

“We build on this cooperation to respond to global challenges while deepening our combined efforts on strategic, economic, security and consular issues.

“I appreciate the support of the Government of Switzerland for Australia’s expanded presence.”

Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell sid:

“I was honoured to be in Bern to officially open the Australian Embassy to Switzerland.”

“This Embassy will work to expand our already strong trade and investment ties with Switzerland, further building our partnerships in business, research and development, and innovation, including increased cooperation on climate action.”

H.E. Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, H.E. Mr. HAMADA Yasukazu, Minister of Defence of Japan, the Hon. Richard Marles MP, the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, held the Tenth Japan-Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations on 9 December 2022 in Tokyo. The consultations, in a timely manner, reaffirmed the ambitious vision set at the October 2022 Leaders’ Meeting, including in the Joint Statement and Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation (JDSC).

We reaffirmed that our Special Strategic Partnership only grows stronger. Japan and Australia are united by our shared values, including an unwavering commitment to democracy, human rights, free trade and a rules-based international order.

Recognising our shared views on the changing regional and global environment, expressed by our leaders’ Joint Statement in October 2022, we today focused on expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation in line with the JDSC.

We underscored the importance of our respective alliances and our trilateral cooperation with the United States, including through the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue, which underpins peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. We reaffirmed our deep strategic alignment as we commit to our respective major reviews of security strategy and policies. We will continuously ensure our systems enhance our communication and consultations based on paragraph 6 of the JDSC.

We reaffirmed our commitment to realise a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, that is inclusive and resilient, where sovereignty and international law, including universal human rights, are upheld.

We underscored our commitment to work with partners to realise this vision including with India and the United States under frameworks such as the Quad.

We welcomed the following actions:

• continuing effective and practical cooperation in the Pacific, including working within established Pacific architecture such as the Pacific Islands Forum, to address the needs and priorities of Pacific island countries, including through:
  • collaboration on explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
  • deepened collaboration to support the Pacific’s infrastructure, connectivity and maritime security needs
  • enhanced coordination between our Pacific missions, including with Japan’s new missions in Kiribati and New Caledonia
  • delivering tangible outcomes through Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP)
  • collaboration between the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Export Finance Australia (EFA) to provide credit guarantees for EFA’s financing to Telstra to support its acquisition of Digicel Pacific
  • coordinating efforts to enhance water security in the Marshall Islands and other small island states
  • tackling oil spill risks from World War II wrecks in Chuuk Lagoon, Federated States of Micronesia
  • supporting increased maritime security capacity in Samoa
  • Australia’s support for the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) in Samoa, which was established with a partnership among Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Japan and New Zealand
• mutually reinforcing our respective enhanced approaches to Southeast Asia, and working together towards mutually decided priorities with ASEAN and Southeast Asian partners, including economic, development, security cooperation and the energy transition
• progressing commitments to deepen security and defence cooperation, and build greater interoperability, building on the Reciprocal Access Agreement once it enters into force, including:
  • deepening security and defence cooperation and advancing discussions on the scope, objectives and forms of our enhanced operational cooperation between the Japan Self Defense Forces and the Australian Defence Force to build greater interoperability
  • expanding air-to-air refueling pairings between the Japan Air Self Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force aircraft
  • committing to unit exchanges and more complex exercises, including accelerating the consideration of:
    • manoeuvre deployment training of Japan’s F-35s with an eye to future rotational deployment of Japan’s fighters including F-35s in Australia while welcoming Royal Australian Air Force F-35s coming to Japan next year for the first time to participate in Exercise Bushido Guardian
    • enhancing the complexity of Japan Self Defense Forces’ participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre
    • options to conduct submarine search and rescue training between the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and the Royal Australian Navy
    • amphibious operations, exercises and guided weapon live-fire drills
  • enhancing cooperation on strategic capabilities, including long-range guided weapons, Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) and Under Sea Warfare (USW)
  • bolstering trilateral cooperation with the United States, including to:
    • increase training opportunities with the U.S. Forces in northern Australia
    • leverage the asset protection framework
    • enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to develop a common foundation for optimised and agile operational cooperation
    • promote the participation of the Australian Defence Force in Japan-U.S. bilateral exercises and the participation of the Japan Self Defense Forces in U.S.-Australia bilateral exercises. Particularly, to support the Australian Defence Force participation in Exercise Yama Sakura in 2023
• elevating defence equipment, science and technology and industry cooperation in various ways, including to:
  • finalise research, development, test and evaluation arrangement to conduct defence science and technology cooperation more smoothly
  • enhance defence science and technology collaboration in autonomous systems across all domains
  • explore opportunities for joint research, co-development and production of advanced defence capabilities
  • support policy dialogues on resilient supply chains, which is a shared challenge for Japan and Australia
  • dispatch an Australian defence industry trade mission to Japan in 2023 to build industry resilience and cooperation
• continuing close cooperation to strengthen economic security and address economic coercion, including through the interagency communication and other initiatives with like-minded partners
• committing to continued communication and cooperation on cyber-security and cyber resilience, including:
  • enhancing cooperation including through the next Japan-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue
  • supporting cyber capacity uplift in the Indo-Pacific through joint learning and coordination
  • cooperation in the multilateral area
  • working with partners in the Indo-Pacific on defence-related cyber security
  • enhanced defence cyber cooperation through joint participation in NATO Exercise Locked Shields in 2023
• enhancing space cooperation following Japan-Australia Letter of Intent concerning a defence space partnership signed in November 2022
• increasing information sharing and coordination on our respective development assistance policies and between agencies and missions in the region
• enhancing information sharing and exchanging views on information security.

The Australian Government is imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions on 13 individuals and two entities involved in egregious human rights violations and abuses.

Among them are Iran’s Morality Police, the Basij Resistance Force and six Iranian individuals, involved in the violent crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa ‘Jina’ Amini and the continued oppression of the people of Iran.

Seven Russian individuals involved in the attempted assassination of former opposition leader Alexei Navalny will also have human rights sanctions imposed on them.

These sanctions target grievous human rights situations where the perpetrators continue to act with impunity.

The listings demonstrate the Australian Government’s commitment to take clear action to assert our values, and to hold perpetrators of serious human rights violations and abuses to account.

In addition to human rights sanctions, Australia is joining partners to announce further targeted financial sanctions on three Iranian individuals and one business involved in the supply of drones to Russia for use against Ukraine.

Russia is using Iranian-made drones to target civilians and critical infrastructure, with the intention of denying Ukrainian people energy, heating and water as they face freezing winter temperatures.

The supply of drones to Russia is evidence of the role Iran plays in destabilising global security. This listing highlights that those who provide material support to Russia will face consequences.

The Australian Government calls on countries to exert their influence on Russia to end its illegal, immoral war.

Australia stands with the people of Ukraine and with the people of Iran.

We employ every strategy at our disposal towards upholding human rights – ranging from dialogue and diplomacy to sanctions – consistent with our values and our interests.

The Albanese Government’s approach is to deal with the world as it is, and seek to shape it for the better.

For further information on Australia’s sanctions frameworks, please visit: Sanctions regimes

The Albanese Government is partnering with States and Territories to shield Australian families and businesses from the worst impacts of predicted energy price spikes.

The Government’s Energy Price Relief Plan will:

1. Take action to limit gas prices.
2. Take action to limit coal prices.
3. Provide targeted energy bill relief for households and businesses.
4. Invest in cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy for the future.

We are experiencing sustained and unprecedented pressure on global energy markets. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is pushing energy prices to historic highs all over the world.

In Australia, that’s made worse by nearly a decade of division, inaction and policy uncertainty on climate and energy under the Liberals and Nationals.

The urgent action we are taking with the Energy Price Relief Plan will shield Australians from the worst impacts of price increases, delivering responsible and targeted relief to families, small businesses and manufacturers.

The plan is responsible, targeted and temporary.

It is designed to provide all Australians with a buffer in unprecedented times.

This coordinated national approach continues the Albanese Government’s strong record of working constructively with States and Territories to address problems facing all Australians. It ensures that jurisdictions play their critical role in easing energy market pressures.

In today’s meeting of National Cabinet, the Prime Minister and First Ministers agreed to:

Temporary cap on the price of gas and other measures

Tackling high gas prices by the Commonwealth introducing a 12-month emergency gas price cap, to be set at $12 per gigajoule on new wholesale gas sales by east coast producers subject to consultation; introducing a mandatory code of conduct for the wholesale gas market that includes a reasonable pricing provision, accelerating the introduction of the AGDSM; and boosting resources for the ACCC for implementation, monitoring and enforcement.

Temporary cap on the price of coal

The New South Wales and Queensland Governments are taking action by effectively setting ceilings for the price of coal used for electricity generation to $125 a tonne, with the Commonwealth to contribute to costs.

Impact of these actions

The reality is that due to global circumstances and a decade of energy policy mismanagement, Australians will continue to still see high energy prices for some time.

The average family would be $230 worse off next year if we do not take action with the Energy Price Relief Plan.

Combined, these gas and coal measures are estimated to:

• Dampen predicted gas price increases by two percentage points in 2022-23 and 16 percentage points in 2023-24.
• Reduce the impact of forecast electricity price increases of 36 per cent in 2023-24 by 13 percentage points, preventing a $230 increase that the average Australian household would have seen if these actions were not taken.
• Reduce expected inflation in 2023-24 by around an estimated half percentage point.

Targeted Energy Bill Assistance

The Commonwealth Government will partner with States and Territories to deliver targeted and temporary relief on power bills to eligible Australian households and small businesses that are customers of electricity retailers.

The Commonwealth will establish an Energy Bill Relief Fund with up to $1.5 billion to deliver relief directly to electricity bills.

Commonwealth support will be contingent on the relevant State or Territory matching funding on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

This targeted and temporary support will provide hundreds of dollars of additional bill relief to eligible Australian families and small businesses and help shield them from the worst impacts of rising global energy prices.

National Cabinet agreed to finalise the design and delivery of the energy bill relief based on the following principles:

• Bill relief will be jointly funded between the Commonwealth and relevant State or Territory on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
• Contributions will constitute additional support above and beyond any existing or announced schemes.
• Bill relief will be targeted to households receiving income support, pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders, Family Tax Benefit A and B recipients and to small business customers of electricity retailers.
• Relief be provided as a credit directly on recipients’ power bills.

It is expected that the final details and funding arrangements will be settled by National Cabinet by March 2023.

Investing for a renewable future

Beyond these immediate measures, the Prime Minister and First Ministers reinforced the commitment made by Energy Ministers at the meeting of 8 December, to implement the long overdue Capacity Investment Scheme.

This Scheme will unlock around $10 billion of private and public sector investment in clean, dispatchable storage and generation to ensure reliable and affordable electricity supply and reduce our exposure to high coal and gas prices over the medium and long term.

Over nine years of denial and delay under the previous government, Australia’s National Energy Market saw a decline of 3GW of dispatchable power, or enough to power over two million homes.

Firmed renewables are the cheapest form of energy. The current coal and gas price crisis makes that reality even more stark. Rewiring the Nation and the Capacity Investment Scheme will drive investment in Australia’s future as a renewable energy superpower.

Governments around the country are working together to provide relief to families, businesses, and manufacturers, along with longer term measures that increase capacity and reliability for renewable energy.

The Albanese Government will always stand up for Australian families, workers and businesses, and the Energy Price Relief Plan will do just that.

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. We are taking urgent action to shield Australian families and businesses from the worst of these energy price spikes.

“We are working hand-in-hand with our State and Territory partners to find the best outcomes for all Australians; keeping Australians in work, keeping industry going, and making sure that families and businesses can pay their bills.”