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Albanese and Rabuka: “Bulla! How are you? Nice to see you. Very good.”
This is Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is now in Tonga for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting.
“It’s great to be here, the Pacific Islands Forum is a really important meeting. We are part of the Pacific family and in the coming days we will talk about our common interest.”
Anthony Albanese wasted no time and got to work at the Forum.
The biggest announcement so far involves support for a sweeping $400 million policing pact that the Prime Minister says will strengthen collective peace and security.
The proposal would see a training facility set up near Brisbane, with Pacific Police rotations deployed when needed, along with four regional training centers established across the region, including Papua New Guinea.
Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said he was grateful for Australia’s approach to security.
“It is really important to have a Pacific-led and Pacific-owned initiative that strengthens the existing regional security architecture. Tonga sincerely thanks Australia for funding this vital initiative. Tonga looks forward to continuing to work with Australia and overseas members to bring this initiative to fruition.”
But there was also an emphasis on a strategy born from within the Pacific – seen by some as an affront to China’s efforts to expand its security presence in the region.
Tess Newton-Caine is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Griffith Asia Institute.
“It’s a bit of a joke in Pacific capitals that if you want Americans or Australians to pay for something, the easiest way to do it is to tell them you’re talking to China about it.”
But for Anthony Albanese it is a demonstration of Australia’s good faith and support for Pacific-led solutions.
“This shows how Pacific leaders are working together to shape the future we want to see. The first duty of any national leader is to look after the safety and security of our residents and that’s what this is all about: making sure that By working together, the security of the entire region will be much stronger and will be taken care of by ourselves.”
The Pacific Policing Initiative is not without its critics, including some at the summit.
But Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape was quick to deny any speculation.
“Australia remains our preferred security partner at the moment, especially when it comes to law enforcement issues. China greatly respects our partnership choices. Thank you.”
Meanwhile, while the police agreement has been widely welcomed, it is rising sea levels that are seen as the region’s biggest security threat.
The Falepili Union was signed between Australia and Tuvalu at last year’s summit.
That pact is now in force and legally binds Australia to help Tuvalu in the event of a natural disaster, disease or military attack – meaning hundreds of people from the low-lying island will begin arriving in Australia in the coming months.
Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo says he welcomes the historic agreement.
“The treaty prioritizes three key areas, namely: climate cooperation, mobility with dignity and shared security. For Tuvalu, building its resilience and adaptability to the impacts of climate change, particularly induced sea level rise from climate change and future-proofing the state of Tuvalu and sovereignty remain our top priorities.”
The agreement was celebrated with a traditional dance in gratitude, while calls for climate action rang out.