These press conferences with leaders tend to be very carefully managed, with only a few people able to ask questions (the leaders don’t know what the questions are, but do know who will be asking them)

So it’s short and sharp.

Q: In a troubled world, how can Singapore and Australia, what concrete steps can we take to work together, be it together, through multilateral platforms to keep multilateralism alive and effective? For example, will Australia consider joining the FIT partnership?

Wong:

We are taking concrete steps. The CSP we are launching today is an example of this. The upgraded CSP we are launching. Many of the initiatives we with working with one another are not just to benefit our two countries, but potentially can serve as path finders for the wider world, as we have already done, because we had the world’s first digital and green economy agreements and that indeed served as path finders for other countries eventually to think about digital roofs for the global economy, to think about how trade and climate action can come together within the WTO framework. So, when we work together like that, we are not only looking at bilateral initiatives that benefit each but looking with a view to preserve important multilateral frameworks or strengthen them that will enable us to keep the rules based global system going. Besides bilateral initiatives I add that we work closely together in regional and multilateral platforms. That is another way in which we enablings the frameworks to be strengthened, for example through the CTPTP, through our other partnerships and many arrangements.

Albanese:

One of the reasons I was so delighted to welcome Prime Minister Wong including Mrs Wong joining myself and Jodie at the lodge last night, is that when we have discussions, discussions as friends and a trusting, and part of our discussions, informally and formally has been about the world as it is in 2025 and the world as it is is more uncertain, perhaps than it’s been in the past. There is more disruption than in the past. One of the things that makes this relationship so solid is that we know where we’re coming from and we know where we’re going together. We have a common world view about the importance of multilateralism, of free and fair … the institutions where the Prime that will be an important gathering hosted by our friend Anwar Ibrahim. And the APEC, that Australia played a proud role in founding of cop oh co-operation in economic activity in our region and the G20 as well will … who have travelled to be with us here as part of the delegation.