Chronologies
Australia-US/East Asia
Chronology from Sep 2017 to Aug 2018
: PM Morrison flies to Indonesia to conclude a free-trade agreement with President Joko Widodo.
: Spill motion in the Liberal Party room ends the leadership of PM Malcolm Turnbull. Scott Morrison is elected the new leader and prime minister.
: Australia bans Chinese tech companies Huawei and ZTE from taking part in the rollout of 5G mobile infrastructure, because of national security concerns.
: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop meets Japanese counterpart Kono Taro and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Singapore for the eighth Trilateral Strategic Dialogue.
: Annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) held in California.
: Former Australian spy and his lawyer are charged with breaching intelligence laws for revealing that Australia bugged ministerial offices of the Timor-Leste government during border negotiations over maritime oil and gas rights.
: Lt. Gen. Angus Campbell announced as next Chief of the Australian Defence Force.
: Australia-ASEAN summit is held in Sydney.
: In a phone call to Turnbull, Trump confirms that Australia will be exempt from new US tariffs on steel and aluminum.
: Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) agreement is signed, in Chile, by the 11 remaining nations, following the withdrawal of the US.
: Timor-Leste and Australia sign a new maritime boundary treaty.
: New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern arrives in Sydney for dinner at the Sydney home of PM Turnbull and then a day of talks.
: Barnaby Joyce resigns as deputy prime minister, leader of the National Party and Cabinet minister, after revelations of an extramarital affair with his press secretary.
: President Trump and PM Turnbull meet at the White House to celebrate “100 years of mateship” between the US and Australia.
: Harry Harris is nominated as the US ambassador to Australia.
: PM Turnbull releases a defense export strategy with the aim of making Australia one of the world’s top 10 defense exporters within a decade.
: PM Turnbull visits Japan for talks with Abe Shinzo.
: Labor Sen. Sam Dastyari resigns from Parliament over claims that he was acting on behalf of Chinese interests.
: Federal Parliament legislates for same-sex marriage in Australia.
: PM Turnbull announces legislation to ban foreign political donations and to fight foreign espionage and interference in Australian affairs.
: Nick Warner is appointed as director general of the Office of National Assessments and director-general of national intelligence.
: PM Turnbull launches Australia’s foreign affairs white paper.
: On the sidelines of the APEC meeting, trade ministers from 11 nations announce agreement on the revived Trans-Pacific Partnership, but Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau refuses to ratify the deal. Australia and Peru sign a bilateral free trade agreement.
: PM Turnbull leaves for Vietnam for the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, a bilateral visit to Hong Kong, and the Philippines for the East Asia Summit.
: PM Turnbull meets New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
: US-Australia Space Tracking Treaty is signed in Washington, extending the 1960 bilateral agreement on space exploration and NASA use of Australian facilities.
: The defense and foreign ministers of South Korea and Australia meet in Seoul for their third annual meeting.
: Opposition leader Bill Shorten flies out for talks in South Korea and Japan.
: Australia announces that 54 refugees will leave its South Pacific detention centers for the US, the first group under the deal President Trump reluctantly agreed to honor.