Jakarta pressures Julie Bishop on Papua

Indonesia has asked Australia to caution its Pacific Island neighbours against interfering in the West Papua issue and to urge them to withdraw support for West Papuan membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, warning that the issue could pose a “stumbling block” to closer ­bilateral ties.

Australia and Indonesia consider joint patrols in South China Sea

Indonesia’s defence minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has raised the prospect of joint patrols during an annual meeting last week with Ms Bishop and Marise Payne, Australia’s defence minister. It comes as Mr Widodo prepares to address Australia’s parliament next week on his first state visit to the country.

Politics and statecraft shape future of Australia-Singapore ties

Ties between Australia and Singapore are founded on a firm bedrock of convergent strategic interests, based on Australia's assessment of threats through and from the South-east Asian archipelago.

Australia's China choice?

Professor Hugh White speaks about Australia's relationships with China and the US.

Australian strategy has a TINA problem

In 1983 Bob Hawke and his new Treasurer Paul Keating came to office promising to resist radical changes to Australia’s economic system. Hawke’s election pitch had recognised the economy was in bad shape, but he wanted to solve its problems by doing the same things Labor always liked doing: emphasising cooperation and boosting public investment in infrastructure and industry.