The battle that ended in a draw but prevented the japanese from invading australia

The correct answer is the Battle of the Coral Sea

Japan wanted to reinforce its position in the Pacific by invading Australia and surrounding islands. They had a naval battle against ships of US and Australia and although they won because they destroyed more of opponents ships, Japan was actually a strategic loser because they didn't manage to get the position that they wanted, so the battle was a stalemate overall.