Our oceans, our shared future

For Australia and the Philippines, the sea is not simply the space between our countries. It is central to who we are, how we prosper and how we connect with the world.

As two maritime nations, we understand that our futures are tied to the health, security and freedom of our oceans. This year, as Australia and the Philippines celebrate 80 years of diplomatic relations, we are reflecting on a partnership built on trust and practical cooperation. We are also looking ahead to how we can work together to meet the challenges of a changing region.

Our Strategic Partnership, established in 2023, reflects a shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. At its heart is a simple principle: countries should be able to cooperate, trade and thrive in a region governed by rules and norms.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides the comprehensive legal framework for activities in the ocean and seas. It protects the rights and freedoms of all countries, large and small. It is fundamental to regional security, economic livelihoods and the wellbeing of our people.

Australia will continue to speak clearly when actions undermine these principles. We will continue to support the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in accordance with international law and to call for compliance with the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, which is final and legally binding on the parties. The landmark ruling demonstrated that disputes can and should be addressed through established legal mechanisms rather than coercion or force.

In the decade following the ruling, Australia has consistently supported the Award because we believe everyone benefits when countries play by the same rules; rules that many countries have helped shape and that protect the rights of all states.

However, rules need institutions and people to uphold them. This is where Australia’s practical partnership with the Philippines matters.

Australia has doubled its bilateral maritime assistance through the P413-million (A$18 million) Civil Maritime Advancement through Partnerships and Support (C-MAPS) program. Over four years, C-MAPS is supporting civil maritime security and marine environmental protection, including maritime governance, Law of the Sea training, postgraduate scholarships, climate resilience and operational capability.

More than 850 officials from 31 Philippine government agencies have completed Australian-supported Law of the Sea training over the past six years. This kind of cooperation does not always make headlines, but it does build lasting capability and strengthens the institutions that will shape the Philippines’ maritime future.

Our regional investment is also growing. Australia is investing P6.8 billion (A$160 million) over 10 years through our Southeast Asia Maritime Partnerships to expand practical maritime cooperation across the region. This includes skills development, training, technical support, academic exchanges, policy dialogue and technology transfer. The Philippines is an important partner in this work.

We are also strengthening cooperation at sea.

Earlier this year, Australia made its largest contribution yet to Exercise Balikatan, with more than 400 Australian personnel and a Royal Australian Navy warship participating alongside Philippine and other partner forces. Maritime Cooperative Activities between Australia and the Philippines are also expanding. These activities help our forces work together, improve interoperability and strengthen shared maritime domain awareness. At the Australia-Philippines Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Darwin in August, our two countries reaffirmed their commitment to this practical cooperation and to upholding international law and UNCLOS.

Our partnership with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is another important part of this effort.

Australia is providing targeted support to strengthen PCG’s maritime domain awareness. In 2025, Australia provided 20 advanced aerial drones worth more than P36 million (A$871,400), alongside specialized operator training. Just two months ago, while in Manila, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that Australia has committed a further P413-million (A$10 million) package of long-range, heavy-lift and underwater drones and training. Together with earlier assistance, 35 drones have now been delivered to the PCG. These capabilities will give PCG more options to monitor the Philippines’ maritime domain, respond to incidents and strengthen maritime domain awareness. We are also supporting the upgrading of communications infrastructure across Palawan and providing P66.1 million (A$1.6 million) for practical cybersecurity assistance to strengthen PCG’s digital systems.

These investments are about more than equipment. They are about giving Philippine institutions the tools, skills and information they need to operate effectively across an enormous maritime domain.

For Australia, this is what partnership looks like.

It means standing with the Philippines in support of international law. It means investing in people and institutions. It means working together at sea, sharing expertise and building capabilities that serve our common interests.

Our two countries have spent 80 years building a relationship grounded in trust. As maritime nations, we know that the next 80 years will depend in part on our ability to keep our seas peaceful, secure, open and governed by rules.

Australia is committed to doing our part.

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Marc Innes-Brown is Australia’s Ambassador to the Philippines.