QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Mr MARLES (Corio—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence) (14:27): I thank the member for his question. Last week, he and I visited Thursday Island in his electorate in the Torres Strait, Australia's own piece of Melanesia. I really want to acknowledge the remarkable way that he represents this very special part of our country.

During the break, back on 6 July, our prime minister, along with Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, signed the Vuvale treaty. In that regard, along with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I would like to particularly acknowledge the Minister for Pacific Island Affairs. That treaty greatly enhances our economic relationship with Fiji, supporting Fiji's digital transformation and its industry and providing more opportunities for Fijians to access the Australian economy.

But, most significantly, the treaty contains a security commitment between our two countries. As one of the only nations that operates a defence force within the Pacific, to have this commitment at a treaty level now means that Fiji is our fourth alliance partner after Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and, of course, the United States. Indeed, just two days after that, our alliance with Papua New Guinea, the Pukpuk Treaty, also came into force.

Since coming to government, we have concluded a treaty of common security with Indonesia and our alliance with Papua New Guinea. We are working on a security agreement with the Solomon Islands. We've signed the Nakamal agreement with Vanuatu.

We've enhanced our longstanding relationship with France, a NATO partner. We now have a new alliance with Fiji, and we have an old alliance with New Zealand. This ring of countries surrounds our continent.

Our government has done more to establish security agreements with these countries than any government in our history, and Australians are safer as a result. This is all in the context of enhanced partnerships with countries from Tuvalu to Naoero and to the Maldives; from India, through Singapore, Korea, Japan, and, of course, today, Vietnam. Our national security is founded on our defence capability, and we are dramatically increasing that as well.

It is also, obviously, grounded in our alliance with the United States, but our relationships with the countries of our region are fundamental to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific and, with that, the security of every Australian.