Australia's maritime co-operation with Indonesia has been enhanced by high-level meetings in Canberra this week.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) hosted a delegation from the Indonesia Coast Guard (Badan Keamanan Laut – BAKAMLA).
The establishment of a joint Civil Maritime Enforcement and Security Partnership (CMESP) between the two organisations was discussed by ABF Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg and BAKAMLA Chief Vice Admiral D.A. Mamahit and an agreement was reached to proceed.
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said Australia was working with Indonesia on initiatives that would boost law enforcement and border protection cooperation in our region.
"Strong inter-country links such as these improve border security across the Asia-Pacific and are vital for regional prosperity and I look forward to continued engagement with our Indonesian colleagues," Mr Dutton said.
"CMESP is a vital step forward, which will assist our two nations to mitigate a range of maritime security threats including illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, transnational organised crime including people smuggling, piracy and the threat of maritime terrorism."
The ABF and BAKAMLA are now working jointly to progress CMESP ahead of the next joint operational patrols and the Maritime Security Desktop Exercise in early 2016. The CMESP also involves information and intelligence sharing, training and capacity building.