Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese signed two joint statements in Canberra on Wednesday, August 19, upgrading the countries' strategic partnership across trade, law enforcement, defence and innovation.
The agreements followed full bilateral talks at Parliament House and came during Anutin's official visit to Australia - the first by a Thai prime minister in 14 years, according to Albanese.
Australia and Thailand will mark 75 years of diplomatic relations next year. Albanese said the visit reflected the importance Australia places on Thailand as a close ally.
"As we look forward to celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Thailand next year, we are expanding our relationship through economic resilience, security, and innovation," he said.
Crime, scams and online fraud
The leaders issued a Joint Statement on Transnational Crime, under which law enforcement agencies will work more closely at an operational level against increasingly sophisticated international criminal networks.
Cooperation will target human trafficking, illicit drug trafficking, scam networks and cyber fraud. Anutin said Thailand was committed to using the new statements to tackle online fraud, human trafficking and money laundering decisively, while strengthening economic resilience amid geopolitical volatility.
Albanese said trusted regional partners were needed as transnational crime became more sophisticated, to protect communities and support "a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region".
Trade and defence links
The two countries also agreed to establish a biennial Defence Ministers' Meeting, adding a formal channel for closer defence cooperation.
Albanese said two-way trade had nearly tripled since the Australia-Thailand free trade agreement entered into force, and that the economic relationship retained "enormous potential".
Australia also reaffirmed its support for Thailand's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The countries will work closely in multilateral forums including COP31, the World Trade Organisation and ASEAN, reflecting what they described as a shared commitment to agreed multilateral rules, norms and standards.
Research cooperation will be expanded through science, research and innovation projects intended to support economic growth. Existing work between Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Thai partners, including the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), covers pharmaceutical manufacturing and sustainable food and agricultural systems.
Anutin praised the Thai community in Australia and the continued popularity of Thailand among Australian tourists. He said Thailand would deepen cooperation through ASEAN mechanisms and the Mekong-Australia Partnership, and again thanked Australia for backing its OECD membership effort.
Pictures courtesy of Thai Newsroom
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20 August 2026
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