‘New era’: Australia, Indonesia strike surprise security treaty

Australia and Indonesia will commit to consult each other if they face a security threat under a landmark new treaty that ties the two neighbours closer together than at any time in their history.

In a major foreign policy achievement for Anthony Albanese, the prime minister declared on Wednesday that relations between Australia and Indonesia have entered a “new era” with the treaty.

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy, has jealously guarded its non-aligned status as it balances relations between China and the United States.

There have also been significant moments of tension between Indonesia and Australia, including over East Timorese independence, asylum seekers and death sentences for Australian drug smugglers.

“This is a watershed moment in the Australia-Indon