First, an alliance with Papua New Guinea, our nearest neighbour. Next, the charming of Donald Trump, the mercurial US president partial to Oval Office clobberings.

Rounding out a stunning diplomatic spring, the dealing of fiercely non-aligned Indonesia into a “watershed” defence treaty, heralding the strongest bilateral and personal ties with the rising northern behemoth in 30 years.

Illustration by Dionne GainCredit:

Only a few months ago, this would have seemed an unlikely trifecta.

Ushering Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto lectern-left into the smiles and handshakes of Penny Wong and Richard Marles aboard the HMAS Canberra in Sydney last week, Anthony Albanese, the sun at his face and the Sydney Harbour Bridge at his back, capped the best few weeks of international dealmaking of his prime ministership.

This as the Coalition self-immolates over climate policy. The juxtaposition is stark.

Of Albanese’s and Foreign Minister Wong’s wins since last month, the Indonesia deal, called the Treaty on Common Security, was out of the box. Few even knew the backroom work was going on – and so soon after the nations signed a defence co-operation agreement only last year.

The full text remains secret, but the broad strokes commit both countries to regular “consultation” at leader and ministerial levels on common security challenges.

Most significantly, “if either or both countries’ security is threatened” the relevant people would then “consider what measures may be taken either individually or jointly to deal with those threats”, according to Albanese in his media statement, Prabowo by his side.

What it will mean in practice remains to be seen.

The first thing to be clear about is that it is not a mutual defence treaty like the Pukpuk pact signed last month with Papua New Guinea.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the flight deck of HMAS Canberra in Sydney, where they announced a defence pact.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Indonesia, with non-alignment at the core........

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