SUMMARY

CANBERRA, Australia – It’s easy to find a Southeast Asian connection through key members of Australia’s Cabinet.

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister and leader of the government in the Senate, was born in Sabah, Malaysia and speaks the language. Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism, lights up as he talks about marrying his Bicolana wife in Pasig City some four decades ago. Chris Bowen, Climate Change and Energy Minister, is fresh off a holiday in Malaysia.

It’s the beginning of February 2024 and preparations were well underway in Canberra and in Melbourne for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit, a celebration of 50 years since Australia signed up to be the bloc’s first dialogue partner in 1974.

The summit starts on March 4 and culminate…

Source:https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/why-australia-needs-improve-ties-southeast-asia/