Australia-Fiji relations; Neil Prakash; Pacific ‘step up’; Great Barrier Reef Foundation; Live animal exports; Fish deaths
Prime Minister
Photo: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
PRIME MINISTER: Well it’s wonderful to be back in Fiji. It’s particularly great to be here in Suva and it’s wonderful to be part of what is a new phase, a new era, a landmark phase of Australia’s relationship with Fiji. I particularly want to thank Prime Minister Bainimarama for his acknowledgement today after our bilateral meeting of where this relationship is going in such a positive way and I’m looking forward to the future of this relationship and there are a number of announcements and visits we’ll be making while we’re here again over the next 24 hours.
But today I think has been a very successful bring together of the key elements that will make our relationship into the future even stronger. Our standing with Fiji, our relationship with Fiji I think has reached a new level and I thank Prime Minister Bainimarama for confirming that today.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Vuvale Partnership, can you tell us specifically what it entails when, if you’re going to sign it when that might happen? Can you expand a bit on this Partnership?
PRIME MINISTER: Well vuvale as you know is the Fijian word for ‘families’, so that actually describes the type of relationship first that we’re talking about here. There are many different types of diplomatic relationships between countries, comprehensive strategic partnerships, I’m sure you’re familiar with these frameworks and statuses of partnerships between countries. The Vuvale Partnership I think is really outlining a very new kind of understanding and agreement between Australia and our Pacific Island family friends. This relationship and this new partnership we begin the process of negotiating and putting together.
What we’re announcing today is the commencement of that process, not its completion, and it’s starting with a pretty long book of things we’re getting done here in Fiji. The investment we’re making in the South Pacific University, the investments we’ve already made in Blackrock, the investments we’re making through opening up the Pacific Labour Scheme, the work we’re doing in the cultural space, particularly the announcement I made today, some $17 million across the Pacific for new content that will be made available to be shown on broadcasters across the Pacific including here in Fiji. The work we’re doing in the sports area, opening up to our competitions Fijian sports teams and indeed supporting the Fijian netball team to prepare for the next world cup. So we already start from a very strong place of initiatives, both new ones that I’m announcing here during my visit but also things that have already been in train for some time.
We very much see of Fiji at the centre of the Pacific economy and as a hub of the Pacific economy. And so whether it’s education and training, whether it’s the Pacific Labour Scheme that actually allows for the rotation of skills development and the meeting of Labour needs between our two countries, this is something that really is a win-win for both countries. A lot of substance, a lot of work still to do. I should also stress the border management element of this new partnership and we will have senior officials from Australia here in Fiji in the next couple of weeks to begin the work on the detail planning and discussions around the components of that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on Neil Prakash, did Frank Bainimarama raise this issue with you today and what did he say?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: It wasn’t raised in any form?
PRIME MINISTER: He did not raise it with me, because this matter had already been dealt with before our meetings today. And as the Fijian Government has been saying, we have the same view. We’re here about a much bigger partnership and we’ve been able to work through those issues and move forward and I think that’s a tremendous thing.
JOURNALIST: Did you sense any sentiment from the Prime Minister that he didn’t want this issue to overshadow your visit?
PRIME MINISTER: No I wouldn’t describe it like that. I would describe it that what is important here is the new phase of our relationship. I mean, an Australian Prime Minister coming to Suva, coming to Fiji, this is the first time this has happened in quite some time. And as the Prime Minister outlined in his remarks at our joint press conference, to enable us to move past the events of some years ago is a major breakthrough for this relationship and I’m very pleased and proud to have been playing my part in achieving that. And so this is a relationship that’s moving up and moving on.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just two questions. On ‘bygones be bygones’, which is what Frank Bainimarama said, do you think previous Australian governments miscalculated when they decided to freeze out Fiji?
PRIME MINISTER: Well it’s not for me to commentate on my predecessors on this and previous governments. What it’s for me to do is to make sure I’m getting right as Prime Minister and that’s what I am doing and I feel that the Prime Minister and I have been able to strike a good rapport in now what has been my third bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister - two in Australia and one here again today - and as part of an official visit that provides further opportunities I think to deepen that relationship. And not just with the Prime Minister but across ministers of his cabinet and other officials. So I’m very pleased, as someone who has had a deep and long-standing interest in Fiji, a passion for the Fijian people and a passion for the relationship between Australia and Fiji, that we’re able to bring it to this new level.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, we’ve seen some fairly strident criticism reiterated by Concetta Fierravanti-Wells today about the risk of saddling Pacific nations with excessive debt. The timing you would have to say is quite excruciating on this visit. What’s your response to her concerns that some of these nations simply aren’t in a position to take out any more loans?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I don’t agree with your perspective that she’s offered and for this reason I would agree with the perspective that has been shared with me, not just by Pacific leaders across the region but our allies and partners well beyond our region. The Pacific step-up program has been incredibly well received and what we’re offering, whether it’s through our cultural programs, whether it’s through our education programs, whether it’s our infrastructure programs and particularly the infrastructure facility. Let’s not forget that that facility is made up of two components. $500 million in grants. Not loans, $500 million in grants. $1.5 billion in concessional finance.
Now, one of the things we can do as a nation that has a partnership with Fiji and other nations in the Pacific is work on projects that are bankable, work on projects that actually can support that type of finance, that we don’t allow projects to go ahead in that program which can’t support those types of financing arrangements and that fund just doesn’t also deal with governments. It deals with private sector operators as well who are investing and pursuing projects within the region. I also has a great response to the Pacific step-up program when I met with leaders amongst the G20 and as part of the ASEAN Forum earlier, sorry late last year, because they see this as an opportunity to leverage their own investments in a really great partnership with countries like Australia and indeed I would add New Zealand, who have great relationships with Pacific nations. We are in a very good position on the ground to identify the projects that really can turn the dial and make a difference, whether it’s in Fiji or anywhere else. So we have a very structured, focused program. It’s a responsible program and part of that program is building that capability to support financing of bankable projects.
JOURNALIST: Just on some Australian issues, on the Great Barrier Reef funding, why was the Government so hell-bent on offering this grant to a non-government partner rather than an agency such as the CSIRO?
PRIME MINISTER: Because this agency, this organisation, which is outside of government… for a start, I don’t think that government has all the answers and I don’t think government is the only organisation that can do things. There are many others, and this organisation, this foundation has a good reputation who have been able to identify priorities and projects, which includes the CSIRO. You know, sometimes it’s not good to give the money just to one group to fund itself. What we want to see is a legacy of having this capital amount there, to be able to support projects well into the future. The audit report today basically hit out of the park all of the Labor Party’s and all of the naysayers’ criticism of our Government, of our Ministers, of the former Prime Minister, myself, the Environment Minister and when Bill Shorten wants to apologise, he can.
JOURNALIST: Are you disappointed the Environment Department failed to follow appropriate guidelines on transparency, leaving the Ministers to base their decisions on a flawed process?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I don’t agree with your characterisation of those reports, that is I think, an overstatement. But what I would say is this; that where there are lessons to be learned, from any of these audit reports – I mean there are many audit reports – the purpose of them is to take the lessons and ensure the public service and others who are the subject of those, improve processes in the future. But the fundamental issue that the Government was accused of was an impropriety - by the Labor Party -on behalf of the Ministers. That was an outrageous slur and it has been rejected by the auditor’s report.
JOURNALIST: Live animal exports, how concerned are you about the reports that people were paid to potentially switch off ventilation or exhaust vents to distress sheep to get this footage?
PRIME MINISTER: I’m very disappointed that the politics of this issue has led to that sort of behaviour. What I’m focused on and my Government is focused on, is dealing with the actual issue. Australia has an outstanding record when it comes to animal welfare and we want to make sure that our systems and processes are always up to standard and we’re doing the right thing. So my focus is on getting it right and doing it right. I’m disappointed that those who seem only interested in playing the activist politics of this issue are more focused on those issues, but I’ll leave them to explain themselves. I’ll just focus on what the Australian people expect us to focus on; getting this right and doing what’s right.
JOURNALIST: We’ve seen a lot of fish deaths in Murray-Darling, Michael McCormack has said it’s probably time to tweak the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, are cotton farmers particularly being unfairly targeted over this or do you think they have a case to answer?
PRIME MINISTER: The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is a bipartisan initiative. I think this is a very important point. I don’t want to see the disturbing scenes we’ve seen in relation to the fish deaths trigger some sort of pre-election political game being played with what is a very important area of environmental management for the Basin. Some years ago back in 2012, under the previous Government in fact, Labor had conducted scientific studies that were intended to inform the Murray-Darling Basin Plan that deals with these issues. It has been following that research and that science.
Now, we have already taken action to convene a meeting of the water managers and the license holders to review what has happened, we’ve put $5 million into a fish recovery programme, species recovery programme for native species. These are important measures that need to be undertaken, we’re just going to keep working the issue. Of course the New South Wales Government and the Minister there Niall Blair there, he is taking the lead role when it comes to the water flow issues, because they have responsibility for that, obviously as the state government. But we have to work with the state governments, they have majority carriage of the practical issues here. But we need to maintain the bipartisan support for this plan, I do not want to see this politicised, it is too important for Australia and all of those who depend on that system and for the future of our environment in that system. So we will continue to take, I think, a very sober, a very professional and a very responsible approach to dealing with what is a very distressing and disturbing issue, I know for many, many Australians.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, an issue regarding Neil Prakash [inaudible], the Immigration Director here says it’s not a problem for Fiji because he’s not a Fijian citizen. If he’s not a Fijian citizen, how can Australia strip him of his Australian citizenship?
PRIME MINISTER: Those matters were all dealt with before our discussions, I don’t propose to go into them any further. We will continue to act in accordance with our laws and the Fijian Government will act in accordance with theirs. But it’s been great to be here and part of this groundbreaking new relationship. It’s great to see it on the track that it is and I’m looking forward to further engagements not only with Prime Minister Bainimarama but everyday Fijians here as we get out and about over the next 24 hours.
Thank you very much.