Australia and Tonga have inked a new memorandum to jointly tackle cyber threats and deepen digital cooperation.
Deputy Prime Minister Taniela Fusimālohi and Australia’s Assistant Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Nita Green signed the agreement last week, marking a “Pacific-first approach to cybersecurity.” Under the MoU, the nations will strengthen information sharing, build cyber capacity, and coordinate against security risks.
The Australian High Commission describes it as part of a broader push to safeguard “our digital future” and to manage escalating cyber threats together, with emphasis on working through a partnership aligned with regional priorities.
This effort follows longstanding Australia–Tonga security and development ties, including defence cooperation, policing support, and infrastructure investment. The 2025 Australia–Tonga Development Partnership Plan explicitly lists deepening ties on cybersecurity and transnational crime as a joint objective.
In celebrating this milestone, Canberra described the agreement as signalling a “new chapter” in bilateral relations. For Tonga, the MoU reflects a growing commitment to protecting its online infrastructure and resilience in an increasingly digital age.
Australia remains Tonga’s largest bilateral development partner, having supported health systems, infrastructure, and recovery post the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai eruption. The new cybersecurity pact cements a modern frontier in that enduring alliance.
