Key facts
- Australia is actively rebuilding relations in the Pacific through new security treaties with Fiji and PNG.
- Minister Pat Conroy described the Pacific as a 'contested region' where Australia aims to be the 'partner of choice'.
- Rugby league diplomacy and migration programs like the Pacific Engagement Visa are key tools for strengthening regional ties.
- Conroy affirmed the AUKUS agreement's strategic importance and sustainability for the defense industries of Australia, the UK, and the US.
- Australian companies are already supplying components for AUKUS submarine programs.
Pat Conroy, Australia's Minister for Defense Industry and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, discussed the nation's strategic engagement in the Pacific, emphasizing the importance of new treaties with Fiji and PNG and the AUKUS security pact. He highlighted the government's shift from viewing the region as Australia's 'backyard' to being a 'proud member of the Pacific family,' signifying respect and humility.
Conroy detailed how Australia is using 'every lever of statecraft' to be the region's partner of choice, including rugby league diplomacy, which he likened to Nelson Mandela's use of the sport to unite South Africa. He explained that supporting a PNG NRL team and introducing an NRL visa fosters deep people-to-people connections and supports PNG's national project of unity.
The minister also pointed to the Pacific Engagement Visa and the PALM (Pacific Australia Labour Mobility) scheme as crucial for strengthening ties and addressing immigration debates with sympathy for Pacific Islanders. He noted the significant Pasifika heritage within the NRL as a powerful bond.
Regarding AUKUS, Conroy expressed strong confidence in its success, asserting that declarations of the UK's sovereign industry struggles are 'completely overblown.' He cited the doubling of employment at the Barrow shipyard and Australian companies entering the supply chain as evidence of its viability and mutual benefit. Conroy believes AUKUS adds sustainability to the defense industries of all three nations and will survive changes in government.