Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027
Ms AMBIHAIPAHAR (Barton) (17:48): This budget is about resilience and reform at a time of global uncertainty. In uncertain times, Australia cannot turn inwards. We have a responsibility to lead in our region.
I'm a proud member of the Tamil heritage—the first member of this background from New South Wales. I am also the first member of Papua New Guinean heritage in the House of Representatives. I represent Barton, one of the most diverse electorates in Australia.
It is a place where people understand that our story as a nation is tied to the stories of our neighbours, our families and the region we call home. When I come to this place, I try to act in a way that honours that heritage. But, more than that, I try to act in a way that helps build the kind of Australia we need and the kind of region we need.
In this budget, that means supporting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. At the moment, Australia and our neighbours are facing a triple shock: global aid cuts, trade disruptions and energy insecurity—all linked to the conflict in the Middle East. These shocks are being felt across the world, but they are being felt particularly hard by developing nations in our region.
That is why we are reprioritising our aid budget so that more than 75c in every development dollar is directed to our region. For too long, Pacific nations were lectured, mocked and dismissed by the former coalition government. Their concerns about climate change were not taken seriously, their ambitions were belittled and their communities were treated as an afterthought.
Development assistance was cut and a vacuum was left for others to fill. We're taking a different approach. We are treating the Pacific as family because they are family.
That means trust. It means reliability. It means support.
Through the Pacific Islands Forum, we are backing Pacific-led responses to energy supply disruptions and inflation shocks, including targeted budget support in Fiji as a regional energy distribution hub. We've signed the Pukpuk Treaty, a historical mutual defence alliance between Australia and Papua New Guinea, and we are pursuing a landmark partnership agreement with Tonga focused on strengthening economic integration, climate resilience and regional security cooperation.
That is what respectful partnership looks like. When we turn to Indonesia, we see one of the most significant steps in our bilateral relationship in decades: the Australia-Indonesia Treaty on Common Security, or the Jakarta Treaty. This is about strengthening the ties between our two nations at a time of real upheaval.
It recognises that our futures are connected and that our security is stronger when we work together. With India, the next phase of our comprehensive strategic partnership will continue to deepen our relationship with one of the fastest growing economies in the world. That means diversifying trade.
It means building secure and open supply chains for our exporters and businesses. It means continuing to build our capacity in the Indian Ocean so critical maritime trade routes remain free and open. Now, some members of this parliament would have Australians believe that investing in our region is somewhat at odds with putting Australia first.
But that is the problem with slogans; they might sound tough, but they do not deal with the world as it is. The wellbeing of our region is directly connected to the wellbeing of our own country. Development assistance to the Pacific and South-East Asia helps disrupt people-smuggling routes.
It helps tackle drug trafficking, illegal fishing and the spread of disease. It helps build stability in the places closest to us, and it also ensures that Australia remains the partner of choice so that other powers cannot simply step in, gain influence and build proximity to our region. The truth is that backing our region is backing Australia.
It is how we protect our borders, it is how we strengthen our economy and it's how we build the peace, stability and prosperity that our country and our region need.