Australia's place in the Indo-Pacific - 2026 Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards - New York

Thank you so much, my friend, Prime Minister James Marape. 

To John, to guests, to the extraordinary fellow award winners who I share the stage with tonight, to Alex, to Stefano and to Cynthia. 

I want to thank my brother - a very special man - the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. 

For those who may not know, there are hundreds of languages in Papua New Guinea - more than any other place on earth. 

It is such a diverse country, and James has brought that nation together and has shown incredible leadership. 

I thank the Atlantic Council for this great honour, I accept it with humility on behalf of Australia, because it is the honour of my life to serve Australians.

The contribution Australia makes to our region – and to the world – is not down to any individual.

It depends – always – on the patience, optimism, respect, kindness and courage of countless Australians.

And on the Australian values that we have - fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all, that they bring with them, when they engage in the world.

Diplomats and educators, aid workers and volunteers, election supervisors and emergency services personnel.

People who risk their lives to keep the peace, and people who dedicate their lives to the opportunity, prosperity and justice on which lasting peace depends.

Australians who play their part in bringing education and health care, clean water and safe housing to those in need. 

And – in a world that is less certain and more polarised – everyone who plays their part in reminding us of all we have in common, building those ties of shared understanding: from students and investors to Australia’s remarkable diaspora communities, from every place on the planet as well as the oldest continuous culture on earth, our First Nations people. 

The world we live in is changing rapidly.

Since the end of the Cold War, the prevailing assumptions of international affairs were clear: openness was security; efficiency mattered more than resilience; and international rules would be observed as a matter of course. 

Those assumptions rested on the expectation that the influence of the major democratic powers would remain largely unchallenged.

That the Post 1945 world order would continue indefinitely.

Both those expectations are now being tested.

The Post 1945 world order is no longer fit for purpose. Universal institutions that remain necessary are now not always sufficient for the challenges we face.

Australia’s response to this is to actively seek to shape and build the order that replaces the old while preserving the rules that matter most, and building the new partnerships, the relationships and the innovations required to deal with the challenges we face.

The most consequential factor shaping the Indo-Pacific is the strategic competition between the United States and China.

Our alliance with the United States is the anchor of Australia's foreign policy.

For our largest trading partner, China, our approach is clear: cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in the national interest.

Through sustained leader level engagement, we are advancing Australian interests while managing differences.

How Washington and Beijing manage their relationship matters profoundly.

But it cannot be the only lens through which we see the region.

The Indo-Pacific is not a chessboard on which superpowers move the pieces.

Its countries are not spectators.

They are shaping its future and writing their own script.           Contemporary challenges are driving countries to place greater weight to resilience alongside efficiency – in critical minerals, in energy, in new technologies.

We have seen why: war and disruption can drive up energy prices and interrupt supply chains far beyond the conflict. The pandemic taught the same lesson.

Governments must build the capacity to withstand shocks they did not cause and cannot control. 

That is why Australia is strengthening our own sovereign capability.

With our partners – we are strengthening economic-security and supply chain cooperation and building redundancy into systems that matter most.

The rules that supported our region's growth are under real strain.

We must strengthen the institutions that give cooperation legitimacy, alongside partnerships that give it practical effect.

ASEAN centrality is the practical foundation of our regional order to our north. 

Alongside our support for ASEAN, we have: concluded a landmark Treaty on Common Security with Indonesia; upgraded partnerships with Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei; and formed a new partnership with Timor-Leste to help underpin the resilience of ASEAN's newest member.  To our east, the Pacific is so important. Our relationships characterised by respect.

In the 125 years since Federation, Australia entered two alliances, ANZUS.

Forged during World War Two by another Labor Prime Minister John Curtin, who said in our darkest hour we turn our head to America. 

Australia had two alliance partnerships in our first 125 years, we've added two more in the last year. 

It says a lot about our changing dynamic and global politics.

The alliance with Papua New Guinea has come into force. 

The alliance with Fiji that we've signed, represents a significant breakthrough. 

For both of those nations, it is their first ever alliance. 

We've signed agreements with Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Nauru and further agreements are under negotiation with Solomon Islands and Tonga. 

For Pacific nations, their most immediate threat is climate change. 

In my five years as Prime Minister I have travelled throughout the Pacific.

With my own eyes I have seen the impacts of climate change.

They are real. And for some they are existential.

That is why Australia is supporting Fiji and Tuvalu to host next month’s Pre-COP Leaders' event, in the lead up to COP31.

Our partnerships in the Pacific are building the security, prosperity and resilience of all our countries, so they can advance together, shaped by Pacific priorities.

The same depends a region that has rules, that we engage across the board. 

This is the approach we are taking to address the big challenges of the Indo-Pacific.

Building resilience without abandoning openness.

Strengthening regional partnerships without abandoning rules.

Deepening our alliance with the United States and engaging our largest trading partner, China, without allowing either relationship to define who we are.

In an uncertain world, leadership means showing up for one another, sharing burdens and giving our neighbours greater power to shape their futures.

This is the region Australia is working to build, and the international order we will continue to defend.

A great predecessor of mine and one of the architects of Australia’s deeper engagement with our region, Paul Keating, once said that the reward of public life, is public progress.

That truth drives all our efforts.

That determination to deliver real change and lasting progress.

In the lives and opportunities of the people we serve.

In the stability and prosperity of the region we call home.

In the peace and security of the world we share.

And the stronger future we can – and must – build together.

Mr Chairman, thank you for the great honour to Australia that this award represents.

It's not been unnoticed in Australia, that an Australian receiving an Atlantic Council Award - given we front the Pacific, the Indian, Coral Sea, Southern Sea - and not the Atlantic - says something about your organisation in its 65th year - that you understand that all of the world matters. 

PM&C acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.