A reliable partner: Strengthening Australia – Timor-Leste relations

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a report on Australia – Timor-Leste relations. Timor-Leste is a fledging nation wrestling with the challenge of forging a viable state. It’s entering a very complex period in the lead up to the 2012 elections. The country’s leaders inherited a difficult situation, reconstructing a devastated country and healing deep-seated community divisions. The economic and social challenges facing Timor-Leste are daunting, although the exploitation of oil and gas revenues offers a potential lifeline.

This report sets out a number of the challenges for the country, such as possible domestic unrest, transnational crime, food security, land reform, law and justice issues, security sector reform and maritime development. The situation is made more complex by the large number of donor states and the need for Timor-Leste to coordinate their assistance.

While the challenges facing Timor-Leste are significant, the country has defied the odds before and prevailed. With targeted and sustained international support, it has every chance of doing so again.

Australia wishes to have an equal relationship with Timor-Leste, working together to advance our common interests. This year is the tenth anniversary of Australia’s Defence Cooperation Program with the country, one of our largest cooperation programs. The DCP will underpin Australia’s long term defence relationship with Timor-Leste.

A central message of this report is that Australia stands ready to assist Timor-Leste as a reliable partner, not just to ensure the state’s own survival but also to strengthen regional security.

Among the recommendations are:

• Rather than drawdown entirely after the 2012 elections, the ADF should maintain, subject to Timor-Leste agreement, a proportionately appropriate military group, to assist with F-FDTL training.

• Develop an apprenticeship-style program that employs local labour on internationally funded programs, placing equal emphasis on skills development and infrastructure outcomes.

• Australia, through AusAID, should assist Timor-Leste in developing an Agricultural Data and Planning Unit based on the use of GIS technology.

• Australia should take the lead in initiating regular meetings between the littoral countries on maritime security in the Timor Sea. Procedures for information sharing to provide maritime situational awareness at the regional level should be on the agenda.