Overview

• Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and James Marape signed the pact in Canberra, creating Australia’s first new alliance in more than 70 years and Papua New Guinea’s first treaty-level security pact.
• The agreement commits each nation to act to meet the common danger if the other faces an armed attack in the Pacific, elevating the partnership to alliance status.
• The treaty opens a recruitment pathway for Papua New Guineans to serve in the Australian Defence Force, with PNG residents in Australia able to enlist from 1 January as an initial step.
• Both countries pledged to deepen interoperability and expand PNG’s defence capabilities, and agreed to avoid third‑party arrangements that would compromise the treaty, prompting comments from China that it should not be exclusive.
• The deal now goes to both parliaments for ratification, expected to pass in Australia but face sharper debate in PNG, as Canberra also summons major telcos to explain emergency-call safeguards after the Optus outage.