Relationship dossier
Australia
France
Relationship assessment
A broad partnership recovered from a serious dispute over Australia's submarine contract with France.
Australia toward France
+15Australia has pursued diplomatic, economic and Indo-Pacific cooperation with France, including through the bilateral partnership and renewed engagement after the 2021 submarine dispute. Australia's decision to cancel its French submarine contract for the AUKUS arrangement seriously damaged relations and prompted France to recall its ambassador.
France toward Australia
+20France has engaged Australia through bilateral diplomacy and Indo-Pacific cooperation. After Australia cancelled the submarine contract in 2021, France recalled its ambassador, a sharp diplomatic response. The governments later restored high-level engagement and agreed on a bilateral roadmap in 2023.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship has a durable foundation of diplomatic and strategic cooperation, but the 2021 submarine-contract cancellation exposed significant differences over defense policy and trust. Subsequent reconciliation and a bilateral roadmap restored cooperation without erasing the dispute's lasting significance.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Australia and France maintain a substantial bilateral partnership spanning diplomacy, defense, trade and Indo-Pacific cooperation. The 2021 cancellation of Australia's submarine contract with France caused a serious diplomatic rupture, including the recall of France's ambassador. Relations subsequently improved, with both governments restoring high-level engagement and setting out a bilateral roadmap in 2023. The partnership has therefore shown meaningful cooperation alongside a major recent strain.
Areas of tension
- Australia's 2021 cancellation of its submarine contract with France in favor of the AUKUS arrangement
Key developments
Australia announced the AUKUS partnership and abandoned its French submarine contract, triggering a major diplomatic dispute.
France recalled its ambassador to Australia following the submarine-contract cancellation.
Australia and France set out a bilateral roadmap to rebuild relations and expand cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The extent to which post-2023 defense cooperation has translated into durable practical arrangements is unclear.
- The long-term effect of the submarine dispute on trust and defense procurement cooperation remains uncertain.