· Indo-Pacific Minister to
continue close UK-Australia cooperation to promote regional
security and prosperity
· will meet will meet
Australian foreign and defence ministers in first visit to the
country in her new role
The UK’s Indo-Pacific Minister starts a visit in
Australia today (Sunday 27 November - Canberra) in her first trip
to the country in her new role, focused on joint efforts to
promote peace and security in the region.
The Minister will meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny
Wong, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Secretary Richard
Marles, to discuss how the UK and Australia can deepen their
defence and security partnerships to support a stable, prosperous
Indo-Pacific.
This includes progress on AUKUS, which will see Australia
equipped with nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed submarines
featuring world-leading UK technology. The initial 18-month
scoping phase of the project is ongoing and expected to conclude
by the spring. Beyond AUKUS, she will also discuss the two
countries’ wider efforts to maintain stability and prosperity in
the region, boosting bilateral trade opportunities, tackling
climate change, and continued support for Ukraine.
MP, Minister of State
for the Indo-Pacific, said:
“I’m pleased to be back in Australia for the second time this
year to strengthen defence and security ties with one of our
closest partners.
“Strong, ambitious partnerships with nations like Australia
are at the core of our commitment to deepening our engagement
with the Indo-Pacific and becoming the European nation with the
broadest, most integrated presence in the region.”
Vicki Treadell, British High Commissioner to Australia
said:
“I’m delighted to welcome back Anne Marie Trevelyan in her
new role as the UK’s Minister for the Indo-Pacific to Australia.
This visit affirms the UK’s ongoing commitment to Australia and
the Indo-Pacific region, and follows on from a busy 18 months of
UK engagement in the region, including the visit of the Carrier
Strike Group, AUKUS agreement, our Prime Ministers meeting at the
G20 in Bali and our forthcoming Free Trade Agreement.”
Trevelyan will also meet Senator Jenny McAllister, Assistant
Minister for Climate Change, and Shadow Climate Change and Energy
Minister Ted O’Brien.
In addition to meetings with the federal government, she will
also discuss UK priorities with key Australian parliamentarians,
including members of the Defence and Trade, and Intelligence and
Security committees.
Her other engagements in Australia will include giving a speech
at the Australian National Press Club on Monday 28th,
and attending an event at the Australian National Security
College on Thursday 29th, where she will record a
podcast with Professor Rory Medcalf on the geopolitical
challenges facing the Indo-Pacific.
Trevelyan begins her visit in Brisbane, receiving a ‘Welcome to
Country’, which honours the traditional owners of the land. The
Minister will meet with representatives across government and
civil society about the ongoing work that both state and federal
governments are doing with First Nations communities across
Australia.
The Minister’s extensive programme of engagement with Australia –
at a State and Federal level - reflects both the strength of the
UK-Australia relationship and the importance of the Indo-Pacific
to the UK, in the face of increasing regional geopolitical
competition.
Trevelyan’s visit to Australia is part of a wider nine-day trip
to the Pacific, following a visit to Vanuatu earlier this week to
attend the Conference of the Pacific Community and promote UK
support for countries on the front line of climate change.
