Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

This falepili union gives effect to the concept of Pacific led security. Both of our countries are strengthening our commitment to each other in response to the challenges of our time, including climate change and strategic competition. Australia believes in Pacific sovereignty, where the region is guided by the Pacific Islands Forum and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, a region where we come together in the Pacific way and where we are stronger together, where the Pacific family decides its own security and is equipped to respond to its own needs. We know being part of the Pacific family means we have a duty to respond to Pacific needs and to deliver for our shared interests. We are seeking to do so, and this falepili union represents a major step towards deeper regional integration so that the countries of the Pacific can safeguard their sovereignty and determine their own destiny.