Portfolio — 23 March 2026
Over 23-24 March, the Prime Minister executed the most consequential two-day diplomatic sequence of the current parliament, concluding an eight-year Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement eliminating tariffs on 98 per cent of Australian exports and delivering $10 billion annually to the economy, while simultaneously signing a new Security and Defence Partnership with the EU and commencing negotiations to associate with the $155 billion Horizon Europe research fund.
These agreements were anchored in a broader strategy responding to the Middle East fuel-security crisis: the government released 20 per cent of national fuel reserves, established a Fuel Supply Taskforce at National Cabinet, and secured bilateral energy commitments with Singapore through a reaffirmed Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Parliament and media activity reinforced a single coordinated frame — Australia's resources, democratic alignment and alliance networks as the load-bearing assets for navigating global instability — with the EU FTA and Singapore energy dialogue functioning as simultaneous near-term and long-term pillars of that strategy.
The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.