Resources

Work with Australian Border Force (ABF) – Marine Resources Initiative

• Through the Marine Resources initiative the ABF College is strengthening people-to-people links and building enduring relationships with future leaders of Civil Maritime Security agencies in Southeast Asia.
• The ABF College has delivered two Civil Maritime Security Programs to 25 officers from Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
•  The six-week residential Program incorporates leadership, operational command, visit, board, search and seizure training designed to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence in maritime enforcement roles.
• A feature of the Program is Maritime Domain Awareness training, undertaken at the Australian National University.

Work with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) - Coral Reef Monitoring and Protection - Marine Resources Initiative

• AIMS is supporting the advancement of coral reef monitoring and protection through technological solutions to conserve key marine resources in the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei.
• AIMS has also delivered training in the world-leading ReefCloud online platform to officials and experts in Brunei to improve their coral reef monitoring.
• Following the training, the Brunei Department of Fisheries (DOF) held meetings with stakeholders and organisations collaborating to plan and implement a new long-term coral reef monitoring program in 2024. They used techniques learned through the capacity building delivered by AIMS as part of the MRI project.
• DOF plans to complete regular bi-annual surveys of 9-12 coral reef sites. DOF staff have utilised the training to complete surveys at two coral reefs.

Aus4ASEAN Futures Initiative –Support for the ASEAN Strategy for Carbon Neutrality 

This strategy, commissioned by ASEAN and with funding support from the Australian Government through the Australia for ASEAN (Aus4ASEAN) Futures initiative, outlines a coordinated regional roadmap and tangible
initiatives to accelerate ASEAN’s inclusive and just transition to a green economy.

It seeks to drive sustainable growth and development, preserve trade competitiveness, and unlock economic, environmental and social benefits.

ASEAN is acutely exposed to climate change. Unchecked climate change could drive down regional GDP by 11% by the end of the century, and lead to displacement of 87 million people in high-risk flood areas in
Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Program (A2ELP)

A2ELP brings together the next generation of young social entrepreneurs from across Southeast Asia and Australia to build leadership skills and networks for social impact.

During a three-month online program, delegates build knowledge of scalable and sustainable business models, cultural intelligence and innovative start-up methodologies. The program includes opportunities to network with industry, academic and government leaders, and hear from innovators and investors tackling the region’s challenges.

The program includes a one-week visit to Australia to strengthen connections, deepen learning and provide networking opportunities.

Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I)

The P4I facility supported 28 partner agencies across eight Southeast Asian countries and ASEAN with technical assistance to help them address their substantial infrastructure investment needs.

P4I is supporting CSIRO to share Australia’s energy transition expertise in support of Southeast Asia’s energy transition through a wide range of initiatives. This includes support for the ASEAN Centre for Energy to develop the ASEAN Long Term Renewable Energy Roadmap. CSIRO has also established an MoU with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) for cooperation on energy storage and clean hydrogen.

The partnership extends to practical cooperation, with CSIRO hosting a workshop with Indonesia’s main electricity utility, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), focused on accelerating the uptake of renewable energy, with a similar workshop planned with Vietnam’s National Local Dispatch Centre.

Aus4ASEAN Scholarships

100 Aus4ASEAN Scholars from ASEAN Member States are undertaking Masters level studies in Australia. Their studies focus on Australian Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) priority areas:

• Maritime cooperation
• Connectivity
• Economic cooperation, and
• Sustainable Development Goals.

The 100 Aus4ASEAN Scholars are also participating in the ASEAN Scholars Leadership Program (ASLP). Under the ASLP, recipients develop the skills and knowledge to drive change and help build enduring people-to-people connections between ASEAN and Australia.

16 of the Aus4ASEAN Scholars are participating in a Women’s Development Leadership Program, involving two intensive residential leadership courses and access to one-on-one coaching.

Kalinda IT making inroads in Indonesia

Kalinda IT is a 100% Indigenous-owned Australian IT services business, winning the 2022 Supply Nation Indigenous Exporter of the Year award. Working across the Indo-Pacific delivering smart-tech digital services
and infrastructure in collaboration with partners in the region, it has developed its own software focused on intelligent transport systems.

Building on 20-plus years of experience and relationships in the Indo-Pacific region, their CEO Michael Dickerson has recognised the importance of taking a focused approach to the region. Kalinda IT will be exporting its technology to be used as part of the Electronic Road Pricing project in Jakarta, aimed at reducing traffic congestion, and will likely see TKDN seeking to export electric buses and electric mopeds into the Australian market.

Kalinda IT’s experience represents an important example of Australian tech businesses successfully engaging in Southeast Asia, and provides lessons to others seeking to follow suit.

Supporting competition across ASEAN

Through the Regional Trade for Development Initiative and its predecessor, Australia has provided support to ASEAN partners to implement competition law. Through this support the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has partnered with ASEAN counterparts to strengthen implementation of national consumer laws and grow regional cooperation on issues including scams and consumer protection in
e-commerce.

Competition is an important driver for the regional economy which can impact all sectors. Competition has strong links with consumer protection and efficiency. The more competitive the market, the better the
outcomes for consumers.

At its inception in 2014, only five of 10 ASEAN Member states had passed competition laws and only four competition agencies had been established. Now, all ASEAN Member States have implemented competition laws and established competition agencies.