Maritime security beyond disputes explored in Australia media fellowship

CANBERRA, Australia — Emerging maritime security issues, ranging from strategic competition and territorial disputes to cybersecurity and threats to undersea infrastructure, were key topics examined by 13 journalists from Southeast Asia during a weeklong fellowship in Australia.

Two Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondents, Joanna Rose Aglibot of Zambales and Geraldford Ticke of Palawan, joined journalists from Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam in the Southeast Asia Maritime Media Fellowship held in Sydney and Canberra from Nov. 2 to 6.

The Philippine delegation also included James Patrick De Jesus of People’s Television (PTV) Network and Katrina Manubay of the Manila Standard.

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Organized by La Trobe University in partnership with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the fellowship brought journalists together with maritime experts, academics, policymakers, government representatives and Australian media practitioners to explore traditional and emerging maritime security concerns and their effects on coastal communities.

The program came as the Philippines holds the 2026 chairship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together,” and as the region marks the 10th anniversary of the July 12, 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling on the South China Sea.

Prof. Rebecca Strating, professor of international relations at La Trobe University and director of the La Trobe Centre for Global Security, said the fellowship aimed to broaden journalists’ understanding of maritime security beyond territorial disputes.

“One of the things that I hope has been clear through the fellowship is that we don’t just see security as being about disputes in the West Philippine Sea or the South China Sea more broadly,” Strating said. “Security is about things like environmental security, human security—the ways people live their lives—economic security and resilience, so that can be at an individual level but also at the national level.”

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She said journalists play an important role in explaining how maritime issues affect national security as well as the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities.

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“DFAT has a range of different programs in Southeast Asia that engage with different areas of civil society. For this particular program, it’s specifically engaging with journalists because we believe that how these issues are portrayed in media is significant for how people come to understand the maritime and come to understand the issues that affect the lives of coastal communities but also have these big impacts in terms of national security,” Strating said.

The fellowship covered strategic competition and maritime disputes, maritime law and enforcement, cybersecurity and information operations, the security of undersea infrastructure and submarine cable systems, investigative journalism, and the roles of Australia and Southeast Asian countries in the maritime Indo-Pacific.

The participants visited the Lowy Institute and the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Base East in Sydney before traveling to Canberra for workshops and masterclasses with Australian academics and maritime experts.

They also visited the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian War Memorial, Australian Parliament and its Press Gallery, National Press Club, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

For the Philippine journalists, the discussions provided an opportunity to exchange regional perspectives and experiences in covering maritime issues, including disputes at sea and their effects on coastal communities and livelihoods.

Strating said the Philippine participants made an important contribution to the fellowship, noting the significance of the country’s ASEAN chairship and the 10th anniversary of the arbitral tribunal ruling.

“Obviously, the Philippine participants have been an amazing contribution and we are delighted that you have visited Australia and participated in this program,” she said. “It is really an important year for the Philippines, ASEAN chair, and the 10th anniversary of the arbitral tribunal.”

Strating said Australia and maritime Southeast Asian countries share an interest in keeping sea routes open, peaceful and stable.

“Australia is an eastern island, sometimes called an island continent. Our society functions, our economy functions because sea lines of communication are open and free, and it’s very similar for whether it’s in the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam or Indonesia,” Strating explained.

She added: “We are all maritime nations and I don’t think any of us want to see particularly great power conflict breaking out in the region.”

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The fellowship is expected to continue with a regional study visit to Indonesia in 2027. —JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT INQ