Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Wong. Minister, following the treaty signings last month by Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Rabuka of Fiji, this week the Australian government will table the Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance here in parliament, marking a new chapter in our relationship with Fiji. Can the minister please explain to the Senate what these treaties mean for Australia and how continued engagement with the Pacific, including last week at the PIF Foreign Ministers Meeting, strengthens Australia's place in our region?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for your question, Senator Ciccone. I appreciate the opportunity to update the Senate on the Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance. These two treaties are some of the most comprehensive and important endeavours Australia has undertaken with any country. They are grounded in our two nations' shared trust, respect and responsibility. The Vuvale Union's three pillars—security, economies and people—will underpin our relationship with Fiji for generations to come. The Ocean of Peace Alliance, our mutual defence treaty, commits Australia and Fiji to come to each other's aid in times of greatest need. We are saying that we will be there for one another. The government's credibility and reliability with Pacific partners is why we now count Fiji and Papua New Guinea as Australian allies. These agreements are milestones in the Albanese government's work to secure Australia's future in our region, because a stronger, safer, sovereign and more prosperous Pacific benefits every Australian.

I have spoken publicly about the permanent contest Australia finds ourselves in, and we cannot be complacent about this. Advancing our national interests requires sustained effort. Just last week I was back in Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting, continuing the government's work to advance Pacific priorities and our shared interests. We know how important it is that Pacific countries work together to ensure the future of our region is determined by our region's countries and peoples. With new alliances with Papua New Guinea and Fiji, the Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu, our Falepili Union with Tuvalu and the Naoero-Australia Treaty, Labor continues our work to deliver a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ciccone, first supplementary?

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

As the minister has previously said, Australia must embrace all elements of our national power, including our unique cultural and historic regional ties, to ensure our place in the region and in the world. Minister, how has the Albanese Labor government worked to make use of our national advantage, and how has it complemented the government's work to strengthen every single one of our relationships in the region?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Ciccone. You refer to the times we face. They are uncertain and unstable times, and we have to use every tool at our disposal to shape a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

Centuries before Europeans arrived, First Nations people connected Australia with the world. They were Australia's first diplomats and first traders, and this is a source of strategic national advantage. This was highlighted when Yolngu elder Djapirri Mununggirritj stood alongside the prime ministers of Australia and Fiji at the signing of the Ocean of Peace Alliance and Vuvale union. Yolngu elders gifted a name from Yolngu Matha—Bukmak, everyone—to the new forum at the heart of our Vuvale union. There is no other country that can emulate or replicate Australia's historical connections to the Pacific and South-East Asia, and that is why we will keep drawing on the full breadth and depth of Australia's experience and capabilities in order to create a stronger and safer region.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ciccone, second supplementary?

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

As the minister has outlined, the Albanese Labor government is working with the Pacific, proudly so, to deliver on our shared priorities and work alongside the region. Minister, what has enabled Australia to improve our standing in the region, and what risks are there to this constructive and productive approach?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) | Link to this | Hansard source

We in the Albanese government know that the job of building a safer, more secure region will never be over. That is why we're using all arms of national power to strengthen Australia's relationships in the Pacific to continue building trust and to remain a partner of choice. We have been turning up, listening and working to advance Pacific priorities. We've prioritised Australia's position as the Pacific's largest and most comprehensive development partner because, when Labor came to government, we chose to deliver real change in our foreign policy. This is why we have made transformational breakthroughs in the Pacific. But we know we have to keep working hard every day. We cannot afford to return to the days of neglect, and we will keep persistently pressing Australia's national interest in our region every day.