SM Lee receives Australia's highest civilian honour for advancing bilateral ties
SM Lee Hsien Loong with Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn at the ceremony where he was made an Honorary Companion in the General Division of The Order of Australia.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong has received Australia's highest civilian honour, the Order of Australia, for his contributions toward growing its bilateral relationship with Singapore.
Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn,
who is on a state visit to Singapore, conferred on Mr Lee the award of Honorary Companion in the General Division of The Order of Australia at an investiture ceremony on Aug 5.
A citation from the Prime Minister's Office, Australia, said that 'throughout his 40-year political career, and particularly as Prime Minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024, Mr Lee has made significant contributions to advancing Australia-Singapore relations'.
'He has been a strong and influential advocate for closer ties between our two countries and has consistently driven agreements and initiatives which encourage stronger and mutually beneficial relationships,' the citation added.
The economic relationship between Australia and Singapore has grown enormously during Mr Lee's term as PM, the citation said, with Singapore becoming Australia's largest trading partner and investor in South-east Asia.
The citation noted how Mr Lee oversaw and drove six revisions of the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) – Canberra's first bilateral FTA with an Asian country – to keep it up to date and 'anticipate change through new technologies and supply chain vulnerabilities'.
He oversaw the development of the 2015 Australia-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which serves as a broad-ranging agreement to deepen collaboration between both countries, it said.
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He also actively welcomed and supported defence and security partnerships between the two countries, which have contributed to regional peace and security, and advocated strongly for Australia's inclusion in key regional forums, the citation said.
It added: 'Mr Lee's eminent service to the Australia-Singapore bilateral relationship is thoroughly worthy of formal national recognition'.
Mr Lee was accompanied by Mrs Lee at the ceremony, held at the residence of the Australian High Commissioner. Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sim Ann, and North West District Mayor Alex Yam, who is also chairman of the Singapore-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group.
In a speech after the investiture, Mr Lee thanked the Australian government for the honour and said he was 'deeply humbled to receive the award'.
'I do so on behalf of the generations of Singaporeans and Australians who have worked hard to strengthen the partnership between our two nations over the past six decades,' he added.
He noted that Australia had been a steadfast friend to Singapore over the years, being among the first to recognise the Republic's independence, and the first to establish diplomatic relations with it.
The bonds have only deepened, he said.
Security relations, which began with the Five Power Defence Arrangements in 1971, have grown over the years, with Australia welcoming the Singapore Armed Forces to train in the country. This year is the 35th anniversary of Exercise Wallaby, the SAF's largest overseas unilateral exercise, in
the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland.
And as both sides celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025, Mr Lee said he looks forward to its next bound and upgrade, when Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visits Australia for the 10th annual leaders' meeting later this year.
Australia and Singapore have achieved a lot bilaterally and regionally, despite being very different countries, added Mr Lee, who cited former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's description of the two as 'a wide brown land and a little red dot'.
'It is fundamentally about our shared values, our compatible perspectives of the world, and a deep reservoir of trust built up over the years. We both believe in the importance of an open, inclusive and rules-based multilateral order,' said Mr Lee.
'Our societies are multicultural, diverse, and pragmatic. Australian leaders from both sides of the political aisle appreciate that Australia's future is deeply intertwined with our region's, while Singapore has consistently sought to be a steadfast partner and pathfinder for Australia's engagement in Southeast Asia.'
Mr Lee added: 'These deep and extensive ties did not come about by chance. They are the fruit of sustained hard work, political will, and mutual trust built through weathering tough times together.
'I am privileged to have played a modest part in strengthening this relationship. I am confident that Singapore and Australia's friendship will continue to blossom and grow.'
Former Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong was awarded the Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia in 2005, for his contribution to Australia-Singapore ties.
Former foreign minister George Yeo, Stamford Land Corporation executive chairman Ow Chio Kiat and former police commissioner Khoo Boon Hui are among past recipients of the award of Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, for their contribution to relations between the two countries.
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