Ministers from PNG and Australia meet
The 30th joint Papua New Guinea/Australia ministerial meeting was held recently in Port Moresby. It was notable for the large delegation of senior ministers from Australia who participated. They included the Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, and the Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus.
PNG’s Foreign Minister, Justin Tkatchenko, was at pains to use the meeting to stress the importance of the bilateral relationship. In particular, he reiterated that Australia is PNG’s partner of choice when it comes to security support, whilst recognising China as an important economic partner for his country.
During the meeting, it was announced that Australia will lend PNG AU$600 million as a contribution to budget support. This brings Australia’s total lending to PNG to more than AU$2.5 billion since 2020. For some, there are significant concerns that geopolitical manoeuvring is outweighing governance risks when it comes to loans to PNG and other Pacific island countries.
Solomon Islands and Vanuatu formalise border agreement
The leaders of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have formalised a ‘basic border agreement’ with the recent signing of the Tirvau Agreement. This builds on the previous work that was done to finalise the maritime boundary between the two countries after 33 years of negotiation. This was encapsulated in the Motalava Treaty of 2016.
Prime Minister Charlot Salwai travelled to Solomon Islands to meet with his counterpart, Jeremiah Manele for the historic occasion. The Tirvau Agreement is a formal recognition of the longstanding relationships between the people of Temotu in the south of Solomon Islands and of TORBA in the north of Vanuatu. These ties include trade and intermarriage as well as a wealth of shared cultural practice.
The two leaders also discussed briefly some important issues faced by the Melanesian Spearhead Group, including ongoing tensions in New Caledonia. PM Salwai is currently the MSG chair.
Other Pacific News
The situation in New Caledonia remains tense. The authorities recently arrested pro-independence leaders and several of them have been transported to France to be detained there. This has sparked fresh violence.
The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands is visiting Australia this week. It is Jeremiah Manele’s first overseas trip since taking office earlier this year. His trip will include a visit to Queensland to meet with Solomon Islanders working in Australia.
The International Monetary Fund has recently concluded an Article IV visit to Vanuatu. The end of mission press release highlights several governance concerns. In particular, they point to the need to control non-priority spending and address corruption.
Peter Dutton’s proposal to introduce nuclear energy in Australia has raised concerns in the Pacific. As well as concerns about potential environmental damage, activists have noted that this detracts from Australia’s commitment to tackle the climate crisis.
Analysts and members of civil society are concerned about government spending in Fiji. Recently the government announced the purchase of fourteen armoured vehicles for the military. This is despite the RFMF failing to produce any annual reports to Parliament.
Dr Tess Newton Cain is a Senior Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute and project lead for the Griffith Pacific Hub.
