Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is indeed an honour to welcome to the Australian parliament the Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, here with us today, as well as Mrs Rabuka. I give you a very warm welcome. I thank you again, Prime Minister, for welcoming me so warmly to Fiji earlier this year with a traditional ceremony which, yes, as the previous speaker might like to note, did include kava. I was fine because they make us tough in Marrickville!

Prime Minister, our meeting today has strengthened what is already a longstanding and special relationship between Fiji and Australia. We have made progress on some of our shared priorities including economic recovery, climate resilience, security and prosperity. We've deepened the strong personal ties that our two governments have formed.

Prime Minister Rabuka, I want acknowledge the leadership that you have shown, particularly your work to restore the unity of the Pacific Islands Forum. This is a family gathering, and next month our family will gather at the Cook Islands. It will be critical that we continue to talk about our security arrangements within the Pacific—looking after each other—the action that we take together to deal with the challenge of climate change; the opportunities that we have to benefit from by growing our economies; and programs like the PALM scheme that have made such a difference here in Australia but are making a difference for Fijians as well. I think that we have much to do. When we meet together at the Pacific Islands Forum in the Pacific way, we will deal with the shared challenges which we face. I also acknowledge your steadfast commitment to real climate action, and Australia stands by you in this commitment.

Today we signed a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership. This partnership reflects the principles and priorities of both of our governments. Our elevated partnership reinforces the deep respect at the heart of our relationship—our partnership of equals. Fijians are Australia's largest Pacific diaspora, with almost 70,000 Fijian-born people living in our country. Fijians have a few good reasons to celebrate lately: Fiji's anniversary of independence last week and, one that I must mention, although it does bring some heartache, Fiji making the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup at the expense of the Wallabies. But we congratulate you on what was an outstanding and clear victory over the Wallabies. We look forward to future contests between our two great nations.

Prime Minister Rabuka, while we might be competitors on the rugby field, we are completely on the one side when it comes to the relations that we have in this region and the strategic challenges that this region faces. I thank you once again for your support for the AUKUS arrangements when we spoke prior to the announcements. Then you welcomed me at Blackrock in the ceremony, after my visit to San Diego with President Biden and Prime Minister Sunak. We are great friends. I thank you for the meetings that we've had today, both the one-on-ones and your meeting that you had with other senior ministers, including our Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Minister Conroy, who has such a fantastic relationship with you and other Pacific island leaders.

I look forward to joining with you and your delegation in a less formal activity tonight at the Lodge. You are very welcome here, and our door will always be open to you and to the people of Fiji, who are our great friends.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with the Prime Minister and thank him for his very warm words in relation to our most valued guest. Prime Minister Rabuka, thank you very much for being here and for taking the time and effort. To both you and your wife, and your delegation: you are family and you are most welcome here in this parliament, in this chamber. I hope the message that is conveyed to you by the Prime Minister's contribution and by my own is that we speak as one in terms of the support of this parliament, across the aisle, to pay tribute to the respect that we have for you, as an individual, and for our friends and family in Fiji.

Let me deal with the difficult part of the relationship first—as the Prime Minister pointed out before, that is rugby! I said to you in our bilateral meeting earlier, 'Thank you for not raising it in the first five seconds of conversation!' It was a sterling effort at Australia's expense; all of us were devastated by the loss. But the struggle on the rugby field demonstrated a lot about your culture and your people. The heart, will and determination of your nation was represented through those fine players.

Now is a time in our region, as you well appreciate—perhaps more than many within the region—for family to come together. It is a time for us to stand up for common values and a common purpose, and to advance peace and stability in the region. The attributes that you and members of your cabinet bring are a great credit to you, sir. So thank you very much for being here today.

I was proud to serve in the Morrison government during the course of the COVID pandemic and through the work that we did through the National Security Committee to provide support by way of PPE and delivering vaccines as quickly as we could to provide support to Fiji and to other Pacific island nations. It was a very important period in our relationship and in our history. What I think it spoke most to was the absolute certainty and knowledge that Fiji can live with—that, at the time of the next pandemic, the next natural disaster or whatever event might take place, Australia will always be there, standing shoulder to shoulder with you and providing support to people we deeply regard as family and as dear friends.

Thank you for your time in being here with us today. I wish you all the very best in the balance of your tour and visit here. You're a most valued guest in our parliament and in our country.