The ceremony were attended by  Ms. Bounkham Vorachit, Governor of the Bank of the Lao PDR, and Ms Phongsamouth Anlavanh, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. The event was also attended by senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, business leaders, and representatives of international organisations.

In her remarks, Ambassador Jones highlighted the significance of Australia Day (26 January), reflecting on Australia’s history, culture, and achievements that have shaped the nation into a modern and multicultural society.

“We honour our multicultural nation, home to people from more than 300 ancestries. This includes over one million Australians with family ties to Southeast Asia. We acknowledge that our modern nation stands on 65,000 years of continuous First Nations culture – the oldest living culture on Earth,” she said.

“We also take this time to look toward a shared future and contemplate our place in our region and the wider world. This includes, of course, our relationships here in Southeast Asia, and especially Australia’s close and longstanding friendship with Laos.”

This year Australia and Laos celebrate 74 consecutive years of diplomatic relations, Laos’ longest unbroken bilateral relationship. The partnership between the two countries has endured through changing times, global challenges, and shifting priorities - but it has remained strong because it is built on trust, mutual respect, and genuine friendship.

Australia is committed to strengthening collaboration with Laos under the Comprehensive Partnership signed by the prime ministers of both countries in 2024. The agreement covers cooperation across our relationship, including education, health, trade and investment, energy, media, cyber security, combating transnational crime, defence, and law enforcement.

For more than 70 years, Lao students have travelled to Australia to study - and returned with new skills, new perspectives, and lifelong friendships. Today, more than 2,600 Australian alumni in Laos are shaping government, business, science, health, and the arts.

In 2025 Australia supported Laos in combating dengue fever, with 48 million Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes released across Vientiane. We were proud to support the 75th Media Day celebrations, as well as the 5th Population and Housing Census.

We also continued strengthening our economic relationship under Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040. Last year, Australian company Costa launched a blueberry farm in Paksong District, Champassak Province. The farm has since expanded to 73 hectares and now employs over 200 people, the majority of whom are Lao nationals.

This year, we are expanding cooperation on combatting climate change with a new program, the Laos-Australia Agriculture Resilience Initiative.

Next year marks the 75th anniversary of Australia–Laos relations. It will be a significant time to reflect on how far we’ve come, and to look forward with optimism to all that we can achieve together.

KPL