Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Western Australia) | Hansard source

by leave—I too rise to speak on this report of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. I'll start by commending the work of the chair, who's done an excellent job in chairing the committee, and acknowledging the deputy chair, the member for Bruce—who would be speaking on this report if it weren't for the fact that, unfortunately, he currently has COVID. I'll thank the committee members for their work and also the secretariat. We saw in the submissions that were put to this inquiry the great enthusiasm from the foreign policy community in Australia and indeed business, trade unions and academia about the opportunities for Australia that lie in the Pacific.

One recommendation that I think does need to be picked up is to acknowledge that while there was a Pacific Step-up there is so much more to be done. Recommendation 1 notes that Australia should lead a 'large-scale, multi-year post-COVID-19 aid and recovery package within the Pacific islands region', looking for not just a step-up but 'transformative public investment'. And I think it is that transformative public investment that we need in order to fully realise the potential of the Pacific as well as to realise our ambitions in helping our Pacific neighbours to achieve their goals.

I note that this is one of four inquiries that the broader Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee has completed that focus on the Pacific, and I commend the chair of the joint standing committee for their leadership in getting us to that point of having a multi-report response to some of the opportunities that lie in the Pacific. Australia's relationship with the Pacific is—and must be—a forever partnership. A region as diverse as the Pacific will of course have diverse views and diverse opportunities. But what we did see was a universally positive association with Australia's engagement and that we are seen as a first responder when our friends in the Pacific face a crisis. But of course that is not enough. We should also be the partner of choice for our Pacific partners to address shared challenges in our region. Unfortunately we have seen some signs that this may no longer be happening, and the impact of COVID in the Pacific highlights more than ever the importance of Australia working with Pacific neighbours to deliver a region is both secure and sovereign.

Beyond those challenges that the chair outlined, we also have the challenge of climate change. While the report rightly identifies climate change as an issue facing the Pacific region, I believe it fails to fully capture the significance of the challenge. I fear that the government has always dealt with climate change as an issue for domestic politics rather than something where Australia needs to be seen on the world stage as a good, honest long-term actor. We can no longer let down our Pacific neighbours by failing to take climate change seriously both at home and in our work abroad.

I'd also like to highlight John Blaxland's 'grand compact' proposal—that is, that Australia offer a compact of association with South Pacific countries for shared governance, somewhat similar to what New Zealand has done. The committee has recommended that the Australian government consider this proposal, with, as the chair mentioned, a permanent migration intake similar to that in the New Zealand model.

Finally, I want to talk about Radio Australia. It was 25 years ago that the Howard government made significant cuts to Radio Australia. This report says that we have to change direction. We need to reinvigorate Radio Australia, which is well regarded in the region, and to boost its digital appeal. We know that soft diplomacy, using our media assets and using things like Radio Australia, is a huge opportunity to share stories of the Pacific and stories of Australia with our neighbours. Continuing to invest in things such as Radio Australia is just one simple way that we can reverse some of the damage that's been done over many years in our relationship with the Pacific.

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