ASEAN-Australia Track 1.5 Dialogue

Building a more connected digital future for ASEAN and Australia.

At the ASEAN-Australia Track 1.5 Dialogue on 25 June 2026 in Jakarta, our researcher, Dr. Rachel Gong, joined as a speaker in discussions on aligning ASEAN’s Economic Community vision with Australia’s economic strategy for Southeast Asia.

Chaired by Dr. Sineenat Sermcheep, the session convened policymakers and experts to explore cooperation in digital ecosystems, alongside fellow speakers H.E. Dr. SEMSAK Sena, Head of Policy, Special Taskforce and Personal Assistant to the Prime Minister of Cambodia; Ida Bagus Made Bimantara, Director for External ASEAN Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia; and Dr Hilman Palaon, Research Fellow for Digital Economy at the Lowy Institute.

Dr. Rachel spoke on opportunities for ASEAN-Australia collaboration, highlighting digital trade, internet infrastructure resilience, and cross-border digital governance. She also emphasised ASEAN’s strength as an agile early adopter of digital technologies, pointing to cross-border QR payments as a key example. This point was well received by both ASEAN and Australian representatives, and was highlighted again by the Australian Ambassador to ASEAN in her closing remarks.