"In his speech, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott highlighted the fact that trade between ASEAN countries and Australia today is eighty times larger than it was forty years ago. Furthermore, two-way investment is $155 billion dollars. Today, one million people visit Australia every year from ASEAN countries, and 2.5 million Australian?s visit ASEAN countries every year. More than 100,000 students from ASEAN countries study in Australia every year. According to Abbot this is a sign of the strength of the relationship between Australia and the nations of ASEAN. Abbott observed the weight ASEAN countries now have. For example, Malaysia is on the verge of becoming a high-income country. Indonesia is on its way to being a democratic superpower of Asia and Singapore?s GDP per head is higher than Australia?s. These ?indisputable facts? are a tribute to the work which ASEAN countries have done. Abbott sees Australia as having played its part to advance the region. Abbott made mention that Australia will set up an ASEAN-Australia Council, which seeks to work on people-to-people, institution-to-institution and business-to-business links in Asia. Furthermore, Australia will establish a Mekong business initiative, which seeks to develop small businesses in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Abbott hopes ASEAN countries are now aware of the New Colombo Plan, where students from Australia are going to the region to compliment the flow of students from Southeast Asia to Australia..."