Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, had a meeting with Deputy Secretary Craig McLachlan, International, Security, Legal and Consular Group, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Senior Official Leader of Australia for SOMTC, in Canberra on 26 November 2024. The Meeting highlighted the close cooperation between the law enforcement of ASEAN and Australia as well as Australia’s steadfast support for ASEAN’s effort in addressing transnational crime, as manifested under the ASEAN Plus Australia Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC + Australia) Consultation.

Both sides, among others, looked forward to continuing the productive engagement between SOMTC and Australia, particularly through further implementation of practical initiatives on the topic of terrorism, trafficking in persons (TIP), illicit drug trafficking and cybercrime, as identified in the SOMTC + Australia Work Plan on Cooperation to Combat Transnational Crime (2022-2025).