Dr Eglantine Staunton awarded 2026 Strategic Policy Grants Program grant

Dr Eglantine Staunton, from our Department of International Relations, has been awarded a 2026 Strategic Policy Grants Program grant of $95,581 for a project titled "Strengthening the Australia-France defence partnership in the Indo-Pacific."

The project responds to rising geopolitical tension in the Indo-Pacific and the case for Australia to diversify its defence partnerships in order to preserve strategic autonomy, enhance deterrence, and maintain its role as a proactive regional power. With debate continuing over the long-term trajectory of AUKUS, the research examines a reinvigorated defence partnership with France as a further pathway for Australia's regional security engagement.

France and Australia share fundamental strategic interests in promoting regional stability, freedom of navigation, and adherence to international law, while managing China’s influence without exacerbating regional tensions. France’s security presence in the Indo-Pacific—anchored by two million citizens and 90 per cent of its Exclusive Economic Zone—aligns closely with Australia’s regional priorities. Both states possess complementary military and technological capabilities and already cooperate in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Despite diplomatic reconciliation following the dispute around AUKUS, significant potential remains to expand bilateral defence cooperation.

The project is guided by three central questions. The first examines France's strategy in the Indo-Pacific and the reasoning behind it. The second considers the synergies between Australia and France, and the pathways available to expand defence cooperation between the two countries over the next decade. The third asks how powers such as Australia and France can contribute more effectively to upholding the rules-based order in the region.

The research will produce seven bilingual outputs over the course of the project, including academic publications, policy briefs, conference presentations, a workshop, and an open-access book. These outputs will be made available to policymakers, scholars, and the public.

Dr Staunton's research sits within the Coral Bell School’s broader focus on Indo-Pacific security and defence policy, and reflects the Bell School's ongoing engagement with questions of regional order and strategic partnership.