Stephen Dziedzic

Three groups within Defence will be rolled into one entity as part of a sweeping restructure of the department. 

The latest Asia Power Index shows Australia slipping behind Russia for influence, while the region remains dominated by the US and China.

Adelaide will not host next year's COP summit, but Australia's energy minister, Chris Bowen, will lead the negotiations, and a pre-event will be hosted by a Pacific Island nation.

As Chris Bowen lands in Belém with the clock ticking on a resolution, Anthony Albanese says the rules against co-presidency for the COP are clear.

The foreign minister has used a major speech to celebrate the government's string of security agreements, saying Labor has helped build a region more stable and less deferential to authoritarian powers like Russia and China.

The move will affect Australia and New Zealand's multiple police and defence personnel working in Vanuatu, and could set back the signing of the Nakamal Agreement.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declares a "new era" in the relationship between the neighbours in a joint appearance with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Sydney.

Details of an upgraded security treaty between Indonesia and Australia are yet to be made public, and the practical impact it will have on relations between the two countries depends on who you ask. 

Japan's ambassador to Australia calls for the two countries to form an "equilateral" security triangle with the United States, while championing the role of gas in the clean energy transition.

Nauru's president has made a secretive visit to Parliament House in Canberra amid allegations that bikie gangs won a lucrative contract to provide security for former immigration detainees.