QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:09): Thank you, Senator Ciccone. You refer to the times we face. They are uncertain and unstable times, and we have to use every tool at our disposal to shape a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

Centuries before Europeans arrived, First Nations people connected Australia with the world. They were Australia's first diplomats and first traders, and this is a source of strategic national advantage. This was highlighted when Yolngu elder Djapirri Mununggirritj stood alongside the prime ministers of Australia and Fiji at the signing of the Ocean of Peace Alliance and Vuvale union.

Yolngu elders gifted a name from Yolngu Matha—Bukmak, everyone—to the new forum at the heart of our Vuvale union. There is no other country that can emulate or replicate Australia's historical connections to the Pacific and South-East Asia, and that is why we will keep drawing on the full breadth and depth of Australia's experience and capabilities in order to create a stronger and safer region.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Ciccone, second supplementary?