Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong departed Canberra on 7 December 2025 for Washington, D.C., where they will headline the annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN). The mission underscores Australia’s reliance on expedited diplomatic mobility: defence, foreign-affairs and security staff received emergency visa clearances under the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) programme, enabling 24-hour turnaround.
Australian officials will meet U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to advance AUKUS submarine cooperation. On the sidelines, Department of Home Affairs representatives will brief counterparts on how Australia’s new Skills-in-Demand visa can fast-track U.S. technicians needed for submarine sustainment in Western Australia.
![Canberra Sends Marles and Wong to Washington as AUSMIN Talks Open]()
Corporate relocation managers should note that Canberra is quietly lobbying Washington for reciprocal streamlined L-category visas for Australian defence contractors. If agreed, this could slash lead-times for dual-country project staff in 2026.
For organisations and travellers that don’t have access to government fast-track arrangements, VisaHQ can bridge the gap. The company’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) manages visa and passport processing for Australia and more than 200 other destinations, handling documentation, appointment scheduling and courier logistics so corporate teams can stay focused on mission-critical tasks.
Travel-wise, Qantas has scheduled a one-time non-stop charter from Canberra to Joint Base Andrews to ferry delegation members and accompanying media, illustrating the bespoke mobility solutions governments deploy for high-stakes talks.
Australian officials will meet U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to advance AUKUS submarine cooperation. On the sidelines, Department of Home Affairs representatives will brief counterparts on how Australia’s new Skills-in-Demand visa can fast-track U.S. technicians needed for submarine sustainment in Western Australia.
Corporate relocation managers should note that Canberra is quietly lobbying Washington for reciprocal streamlined L-category visas for Australian defence contractors. If agreed, this could slash lead-times for dual-country project staff in 2026.
For organisations and travellers that don’t have access to government fast-track arrangements, VisaHQ can bridge the gap. The company’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) manages visa and passport processing for Australia and more than 200 other destinations, handling documentation, appointment scheduling and courier logistics so corporate teams can stay focused on mission-critical tasks.
Travel-wise, Qantas has scheduled a one-time non-stop charter from Canberra to Joint Base Andrews to ferry delegation members and accompanying media, illustrating the bespoke mobility solutions governments deploy for high-stakes talks.
