Security a matter Grand welcome for ‘Pacific family’

AUSTRALIA should be more engaged in the Pacific, something the previous government failed to do sufficiently, says Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Ms Wong was in Wellington to meet with her New Zealand counterpart, Nanaia Mahuta.

In late April, Ms Wong criticised the Coalition for failing to intervene to stop the Solomon Islands — China deal, saying it was the “worst foreign policy blunder in the Pacific that Australia has seen since the end of World War II”.

She told Morning Report the criticism wasn’t only of that deal, “It was of the government’s failure to engage sufficiently in the Pacific in the way that Australia should have been engaging.”

“Pacific security should be provided by the Pacific family. We do have concerns about the security of the Pacific being engaging in outside of the Pacific family, that is the position Australia has taken and I think it’s the position New Zealand has taken.”

Australia needed to listen more and do much better than the previous government on climate change, she said.

There were a lot of Pacific policies articulated by the Labor Party during the election and Ms Wong said part of what she was doing in the Pacific was talking to people about these.

“Obviously there was quite a substantial Official Development Assistance (ODA) reduction under the previous government so during the election we outlined a policy for the Pacific, which did a few things, fundamentally it sought to draw on Australia’s proximity, we proposed a Pacific engagement visa, we proposed additional ODAs, we proposed addition Maritime engagement, maritime support of Pacific defence force.

“So a whole range of policy measure which were about making sure

Australia worked with the Pacific and Pacific nations ... to deepen the partnership.”

Ms Wong was also working on First Nations foreign policy and said it was something she wants to speak to Nanaia Mahuta about.

“Her emphasis on indigenous foreign policy I think is really quite world leading.”

Asked about 501 deportees, Ms Wong said she was familiar the issue was of concern to New Zealand and both Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had discussions about it.

SAMOA’S Prime Minister has paid a visit to Samoan seasonal workers in Hawke’s Bay.

Fiame Naomi Mata’afa was welcomed to the region in an emotional Ava ceremony, one of the most significant customs in Samoan culture.

Seasonal workers, their bosses, church leaders and Samoan community members poured their hearts out, greeting Ms Fiame on her first official visit there.

Ms Fiame started her three-day trip to Aotearoa on Tuesday in Wellington, making it her first official bilateral trip abroad since becoming leader last year.