Canberra, June 29, 2026 – Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam, Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Canberra (ACC), co-chaired a meeting with Australia's Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke on Monday, bringing together ASEAN Heads of Mission and senior officials from the Department of Home Affairs to discuss strengthening cooperation between Australia and Southeast Asia.

Opening the meeting, Ambassador Pham Hung Tam expressed appreciation to Minister Burke for engaging with the ASEAN Committee at a time when the ASEAN–Australia relationship is expanding across a broad range of areas, including many under the Minister's portfolio.

During the discussions, ASEAN representatives raised a number of issues of shared interest, including mutual recognition arrangements for skilled workers, cybersecurity cooperation, efforts to combat transnational crime and counter-terrorism collaboration.

Visa policy emerged as a key topic of discussion. Speaking on behalf of ASEAN member states, Ambassador Pham Hung Tam proposed that Australia extend post-study work rights for ASEAN students completing coursework-based master's degrees from two years to three years. He also called on Australia to introduce transit visa exemptions for Vietnamese citizens, similar to arrangements currently available to nationals of several other ASEAN countries.

Other ASEAN representatives encouraged Australia to further facilitate visa issuance for students and tourists, and to consider expanding access to visa categories currently unavailable to some ASEAN countries, including agricultural and construction work visas, as well as Working Holiday visas.

Responding to the proposals, Minister Tony Burke welcomed the constructive dialogue and acknowledged the recommendations put forward by the ASEAN Committee. He reaffirmed Australia's strong commitment to its partnership with Southeast Asia and highlighted the country's priority on deepening engagement with the region.

The Minister also called for closer cooperation in cybersecurity, combating transnational crime, protecting critical infrastructure, and strengthening immigration and border management.

Minister Burke expressed confidence that the Australia–ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership would continue to grow, including through enhanced cooperation between relevant law enforcement and government agencies on both sides.