KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Just a day after announcing a sweeping A$1 billion (RM2.8 billion) fund for Asean countries to blunt the impact of USAID cuts, Australia has stepped up its regional support with a fresh A$10 million aid package targeting disaster preparedness and relief for displaced Myanmar women and girls.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the latest contribution underscores Canberra’s enduring commitment to regional stability and security.
“I’m also pleased to announce that the Australian Government will provide an additional A$10 million in humanitarian assistance to improve disaster response in our region and to support displaced women and girls from Myanmar.
“When our region is healthier, more stable and better prepared for disasters, that also ensures Australia’s security and safety,” she said in a press conference on the sidelines of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meetings and Related Meetings at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here today.
Yesterday, Wong announced a development fund exceeding A$1 billion for Asean countries to offset the impact of USAID funding cuts as part of Australia’s commitment to fostering lasting economic prosperity, climate resilience and regional stability and security.
Following this, Wong said the funding reflects Australia’s long-standing commitment to the region and comes in response to a decline in aid contributions from other development partners.
She noted that the majority of the country’s development assistance is already focused on its immediate neighbourhood, including Southeast Asia.
“We’re not a superpower, we’re not a great power, we’re a middle power and a long-standing dialogue partner of Asean,” she said, adding that prioritising aid to the region has required difficult decisions, especially in countries like Timor-Leste and Myanmar.
Wong also addressed growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, stating that Australia supports a strategic balance where no single country dominates.
“We want to see a region where no one country dominates and no country is dominated, where sovereignty is protected, where there is a balance of power, where there is strategic stability, where countries can make their own choices and where we do not see coercion or duress.
“We will keep working with countries of the region and beyond to assure that... continued US engagement in this region is critical to strategic stability… we continue to work not just with the US, but with Asean to assure that, and also with other countries of North Asia, including the Republic of Korea and Japan,” she added.
Wong, who was born in Malaysia, reaffirmed Australia’s strong support for Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship.
“Obviously, Malaysia is a country I know well, the country I’m from, and I want to say again that Australia strongly supports Malaysia in its role as chair of Asean 2025.”
Wong also shared that she had met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today to mark the 70th anniversary of Australia’s diplomatic presence in Malaysia.
She noted that Australia’s partnership with Malaysia continues to grow, covering areas such as defence, border security, clean energy and the digital economy, and expressed the importance for both countries to work together to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
— Bernama
