MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
Senator COLLINS (New South Wales—Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate) (17:58): The coalition welcomes the signing of the Vuvale Union treaty and the Ocean of Peace Alliance—the Veitacini Treaty. This is with our regional friend and now ally, and this is a really big moment for Australia and for Fiji. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs said, it is Fiji's first alliance and Australia's fourth.
They are quite rare indeed. This is an uplift in the military relationship, and we know that Fiji and Australia have stood side-by-side. The Fijian personnel are embedded into Australian units.
I really wish I didn't have to do this, but we heard today the Foreign minister take a partisan swipe at the coalition and the coalition's record in the Pacific, and she did say that there was a neglect of the region, so let's put the facts on the table here. The coalition government in 2019, under former prime minister Scott Morrison, signed the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership, which underpins this alliance.
We got that in motion. The coalition got that in motion. We did not neglect the region.
In fact, we charged on with the step-up. Now, the coalition has a very proud record of delivery in the Pacific, including major contributions through the Pacific Step-up, the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, Coral Sea Cable and the opening of new diplomatic missions giving Australia representation in every member of the Pacific Islands Forum.
The list goes on. But I will stop here because it's important to talk about the alliance and the union, the treaty, that have been signed between Australia and Fiji. The coalition supports more engagement.
It's a good thing that this has happened, even if done under Labor, because it's good for all of us. It is good for security. It strengthens regional security.
These agreements speak to our partnership with Fiji and the need for closer ties—security ties and people-to-people links. They affirm our shared values and increase cooperation and consultation regarding security related threats. We welcome that outcome; we do.
But again I make the point that this formed part of the substantial work undertaken in the Pacific by the former, coalition government, and that should again go on the record, given the propensity of those opposite to make spurious claims about our record of delivery. Now, there is some good news in these arrangements. The Vuvale union will strengthen ties and promote security, democracy and stability.
But I do have concerns regarding article 4, part (4), section (a), where both parties 'commit to peace and security through the transformation of their economies to net zero emissions'. Senator Green: There we go. You wouldn't have signed it.
Senator COLLINS: Yes, there we go. I'll tell you why I have a problem with it, thank you, Assistant Minister for Pacific Island Affairs. I'll tell you why I have a problem with it.
Article 4, part (7) says: Neither Party shall act in a manner that would undermine their ability to meet any of their obligations pursuant to this Article. Instead of acknowledging the challenges in the region, you tied it to a specific contested policy, a partisan policy—a policy that is not agreed to on a bipartisan level. Why would you tie your domestic energy and industrial policy to that of another country?
Where is the sovereign interest in that? Where is the sovereign independence in that? Senator Shoebridge: AUKUS!
Senator COLLINS: This treaty is not bipartisan. It is short sighted and it opens the door to conflict. Senator Shoebridge: AUKUS!
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Collins, please resume your seat. Senator Wong was heard in silence. Let's give Senator Collins the same respect.
Senator Shoebridge interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Shoebridge! Senator Collins, you have the call. Senator COLLINS: In article 3, part (3), sections (a) to (c), the parties commit to deepen engagement by enhancing economic growth, digital economies and personal links, including through mobility.
These are all things that I've long advocated, including in my maiden speech. These are good things. But I've argued that we need regional integration on all of these issues so that they go deeper, longer and further than a bilateral agreement.
One part of that integration is defence. It should be raising a Pacific infantry regiment as an entirely rotational force, where our soldiers could train and deploy side by side with our Pacific family. The Ocean of Peace Alliance, or the Veitacini Treaty, tabled today enshrines mutual defence obligations and a framework to develop visiting force agreements.
As I said in my maiden speech last year, for Australia to remain the preferred security partner in the Pacific and to secure the ocean of peace, we need to not just sign security agreements but pursue real defence integration with our Pacific partners. Australia's Pacific integration must cover all aspects of force posture, including intelligence sharing, defence training, disaster response capability, logistics arrangements, resilient infrastructure and enhanced maritime security cooperation.
Last month I had the honour and privilege of attending RimPac, the US led military exercises, where I gained firsthand insight into the training environment of our service personnel and the importance of defence integration with allies and partners—to strengthen readiness, to train in the region, to practise in the region together, understanding the landscape of the Indo-Pacific.
There were representatives from Tonga and Fiji at RimPac, and it was terrific to see them embedded into the program. We also know that Papua New Guinea now plays a huge role in Exercise Pitch Black in the Top End of Australia. These are all good things, and they are important because, in our current strategic environment, we need to be ready to deploy with our friends and allies.
China continues to test the region's security architecture, including by launching a missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads into our ocean of peace and doing live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea. A security agreement alone is not sufficient to protect our ocean of peace. That has been made abundantly clear.
I therefore urge the government to pursue meaningful defence integration with our Pacific partners and to lift defence spending as a matter of urgency. Australia cannot afford to be complacent should the PLA Navy again seek to circumnavigate our coastline, conduct live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea or launch ballistic missiles directed towards our Pacific partners.
We have to step up to deter, because diplomacy and deterrence are the only credible ways to protect and maintain our ocean of peace indefinitely for the benefit of the entire Pacific family. I commend the government and Prime Minister Rabuka for their work on this, but there is so much more to do, including cleaning up the mess on inserting a Labor political agenda into what should be a bipartisan led treaty.