PUBLISHED ONJuly 26, 2026 4:00 AMBYSean LerSingapore's defence, foreign affairs and energy, science and technology ministers will make a one-day visit to Adelaide, Australia, on Monday (July 27) for the Singapore-Australia joint ministerial committee (SAJMC) meeting.
Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Dr Tan See Leng will attend the upcoming meeting.
They will meet with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Minister for Trade and Tourism and Special Minister of State Don Farrell.
Dr Balakrishnan will also meet Premier of South Australia Peter Malinaukas.
Now in its 15th edition, SAJMC was established in 1996 as a high-level dialogue mechanism for the foreign affairs, defence and trade ministers of the two countries, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.
"It provides strategic direction for the bilateral relationship and serves as a platform for both sides to discuss cooperation and exchange views on regional and international developments," MFA said.
The meeting is convened every 18 months on an alternating basis between Singapore and Australia, with the last meeting held in Singapore in December 2024.
Singapore and Australia marked 60 years of diplomatic ties in 2025.
During Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's first official visit to Australia in October 2025, the two countries upgraded their comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) to a "version 2.0".
Dubbed CSP 2.0, the upgraded partnership includes new and emerging frontiers covering artificial intelligence, cyber, digital, and space.
Recognising the importance of defence cooperation towards regional security, Singapore's Ministry of Defence and the Australian Department of Defence also signed an agreement on enhanced defence cooperation.
The agreement will enhance the Australian Defence Force's access in and through Singapore such as more frequent port calls and stopovers by its military vessels and aircraft.
On April 10, the prime ministers of Singapore and Australia inked a joint statement on economic resilience and trade in essential supplies.
A week later, on April 17, the two countries announced that they have concluded negotiations on a legally-binding protocol.
Under the agreement, the two countries will support the flow of essential goods, including diesel and liquified natural gas between them, and notify and consult each other on any disruptions with ramifications on the trade of energy.
Singapore generates about 95 per cent of its electricity using imported natural gas.
Australia, one of the world’s top LNG producers, accounts for one-third of Singapore’s supply.
Meanwhile, Australian government statistics for 2025 showed that Singapore is Australia’s largest supplier of refined petroleum products.
Last year, Australia was Singapore’s 12th largest trading partner, with total bilateral trade in goods amounting to S$30.3 billion.
In 2024, Singapore was Australia’s sixth largest trading partner and sixth largest source of foreign investment.
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