Current Australian—Asean Relations

Abstract

The comments of this anonymous Indonesian officiai, quoted by Peter Hasdngs in the Sydney Morning Herald (11 August 1978), seem representative of a general perceprion of Australia by policy-makers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1979. Such complaints have not gone unnoticed in Australia. In September, the Harries Report,1 a major review of Australia's relations with the Third World, recommended important changes in Australian policies in the region. The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, chaired by Senator Peter Sim, also began an inquiry in March into AustralianAS ELAN relations. These government inquiries contributed to a growing, if somewhat confused, debate in Australia about our policies in Southeast Asia. That Australi an-ASEAN relations are characterized by a deep-seated malaise is obvious; what should be done about it is not so obvious. Nor is there general consensus that all the adjustments should be made by Australia. Two specific issues dominated Australia's relations with ASEAN during the year: the aftermath of the first major power shift in Indochina since 1975 and its attendant refugee crisis, and the dispute over Australia's new International Civil Aviation Policy (ICAP). These events occurred against a background of sustained resentment in AS PLAN of protectionist barriers in Australia against ASEAN exports. Apart from the ICAP dispute, the general Australia-ASEAN relationship continued to be dominated by bilateral relations with Indonesia, which improved during the year but were not devoid of continuing problems. The Australian-Philippine relationship has also recently significantly increased its importance.