PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Ms SITOU (Reid) (17:56): As Australians tune in to the FIFA World Cup, we are reminded of something simple but powerful: no team succeeds alone. You need a strong defence. You need discipline.

You need trust between teammates. And, when the pressure is on, you need to know who is standing beside you. That is true on the football pitch, but it is even truer in our region and on the global stage.

Australia is living through one of the most challenging strategic circumstances in decades. The rules and norms that have underpinned peace, security and prosperity are coming under pressure. The world is more uncertain, threats are more complex, and many of the challenges we face do not stop at borders.

That is why Australia cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. Under our prime minister and Foreign minister, our government is getting Australia match-fit for the challenges ahead. In March this year, the Prime Minister and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the Australia-European Union Security and Defence Partnership.

This is an important step forward in a strategic partnership with the EU. Australia and the EU have a longstanding relationship built on shared values of peace, security, democracy and prosperity. Under this Albanese Labor government, that relationship is going from strength to strength.

This security and defence partnership builds on other important areas of cooperation, including the Australia-EU free trade agreement and negotiations for Australia's association with the Horizon Europe research fund. Together, these efforts show strong momentum in one of Australia's most important international relationships, and, as a middle power, Australia needs as many strong and reliable partners as possible.

We need to work with like-minded partners, we need to build common ground, and we need to make sure Australia has more options, more resilience and more capability in an uncertain world. This is about strengthening global responses to the volatility, hostility and conflict we are seeing across the world. We see it in Europe, where the Ukrainian people continue to show extraordinary courage in the face of Russia's illegal and immoral invasion.

We see it in the Middle East, where the people of Iran continue to face a brutal and oppressive regime. And we see it in the growing use of cyberattacks, disinformation, foreign interference and economic pressure as tools of modern conflict. That is why this partnership matters.

It will boost cooperation across defence industry, cybersecurity, economic security, counterterrorism, combating hatred and countering hybrid threats. It will support increased information sharing to respond to global threats. It will help build the capacity and resilience of Australia and the European Union to withstand complex security challenges in our respective regions.

It will deepen cooperation to combat online radicalisation and terrorism financing, and it will establish a new space security dialogue. These are practical steps that make Australia more secure in a less predictable world. They are about protecting our national interests, and they are about ensuring Australia is not isolated but connected to partners who share our commitment to peace, security and stability.

Just like at the World Cup, the countries that succeed are the ones that prepare, build strong teams, understand the conditions and know how to respond when the game changes. That is what the Albanese Labor government is doing. We are acting with intention and purpose.

We are deepening existing relationships. We are working with partners in our region and around the world, and we are practising what the Foreign minister has described as 'amplified middle-power diplomacy'. Australia cannot approach the shifts in global power passively.

We must be active, engaged and prepared. This partnership with the EU is another example of our government doing the serious work of defending Australia's interests and contributing to a safer and more stable world.