Following formal talks in Brunei's Royal Palace, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has signed a joint statement with the country's sultan, similar to a document on fuel security struck with Singapore's leader last week.Â
''Brunei Darussalam and Australia are longstanding friends and comprehensive partners, and share a commitment to the peace, stability and prosperity of our region,'' the document states.
''Our close relationship is grounded in strategic trust, open markets, and rules-based trade, which underpin the prosperity and security of our peoples and region. We reaffirm these shared principles, which are essential at this time.''
''We are committed to working together to strengthen energy supply chain resilience, including by deepening regional cooperation, accelerating alternative energy resources including renewable energy, and maintaining open trade flows."
While being welcomed by Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at his palace, Mr Albanese remarked to the monarch that the weather was much warmer than in Canberra.
Brunei was dealing with ''unpredictable weather'', the sultan replied.
The monarch said it was good to speak with Mr Albanese in person after a phone call the previous week and remarked on the prime minister's busy travel schedule.
''Australia has always been a trusted friend and partner. Over the years, our relations have continued to prosper,'' he told Mr Albanese during a bilateral meeting.
Mr Albanese will depart Brunei on Wednesday for talks with his Malaysian counterpart in Kuala Lumpur that will also be focused on fuel security.
Earlier, the prime minister visited a fertiliser plant, surrounded by a tangle of gleaming pipes and towering chimneys.
Clad in a grey and green safety jacket, tan pants and black lace-up boots, Mr Albanese took part in the tour on Wednesday in the first full day of his trip to Brunei and Malaysia.
Along with securing Australia's long-term fuel supplies, he is hoping to use his visit to boost imports of fertiliser-grade urea, which have taken a hit as trade disruptions from the war in the Middle East ripple around the world.
Touring the facility along with Brunei Fertiliser Industries chief executive Harri Kiiski, most of the conversation between the pair was drowned out by the sound of industrial machinery.
The fertiliser plant produces nearly 10 per cent of Australia's urea supplies.
Mr Albanese was shown to the plant's control room where he viewed samples of urea, destined for Australia.
About 600 workers are employed at the plant, which started production in 2022 and at maximum capacity can produce 1.365 million tonnes of fertiliser every year.
While Brunei is a smaller fuel producer than many other countries in the region, such as Singapore and Malaysia, Australia still imports nine per cent of its diesel, 11 per cent of its crude oil and 11 per cent of its fertiliser-grade urea from the tiny sultanate.
Australia is also a large provider of food to Brunei, having supplied around three-quarters of its meat imports in 2024.
Mr Albanese's approach of focusing on what Australia brings to the table echoes his negotiations with other Southeast Asian nations, including Singapore, where he sought priority access to fuel supplies by guaranteeing shipments of goods such as liquefied natural gas.
