Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator Fierravanti-Wells. Can the minister update the Senate on Australia's participation in the 48th Pacific Islands Forum?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKenzie for her question and her interest in matters Pacific. Australia's engagement in the Pacific is one of our highest priorities. As I've said on different occasions, after the defence of Australia, the stability and security of our region is our highest priority. The Pacific Islands Forum is the pre-eminent political body in the Pacific region. It brings together heads of government to address those shared challenges. As we know, in the Pacific we work best when we work together, as we did in RAMSI, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.

The 48th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting enabled Australia to advance some of our collective efforts addressing climate issues; preparing for natural disasters; managing illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing; improving economic opportunity in the region; and addressing old and new security challenges, including transnational crime, disease outbreaks and cyberattacks. These are the shared challenges that our neighbourhood faces, and it's important that we address them together.

The theme of this year's Pacific Islands Forum was Blue Pacific, and we focused on oceans and issues related to economic returns from fisheries. The Pacific Islands Forum aims to encourage more effective and stronger coordination in our region, through our Framework for Pacific Regionalism. At last year's Pacific Islands Forum, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull indicated that we would be stepping up our engagement in the Pacific, and we are delivering on this commitment in terms of security, labour and pharmaceutical MOUs that were signed. The nature and the complexity of the challenges that are faced in the Pacific show the diversity of the engagement that we have— (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, a supplementary question.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise the Senate of the outcomes achieved at the 48th Pacific Islands Forum meeting?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pacific island leaders agreed to commence work on a new regional security declaration, to position the region better to deal with those new and emerging security challenges—transnational crime, people smuggling, cyberattacks, health security and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. To this end, Australia is funding the new aerial surveillance mission to help us detect and disrupt illegal fishing. Flights are expected to commence before the end of the year. This will help us address transnational crime and people smuggling. This enhances also our $2 billion Pacific Maritime Security Program and the replacement of the 19 patrol boats. Our new Pacific labour scheme will give workers from Pacific island countries the opportunity to work in Australia and remit important remittances, which are so vital to their economies.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, a final supplementary question.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister explain how Australia stands to benefit as a result of the meeting?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are committed to continuing cooperation. Security and stability in our region are vitally important. The Turnbull government is focused on identifying a range of new measures to increase the integration into the Pacific. Among our security measures, we signed new security MOUs with a number of countries. This follows on from the post-RAMSI security agreement that we have with the Solomon Islands. We have new MOUs with different countries in relation to pharmaceutical laboratory testing. These initiatives bolster the measures to address common security challenges and further integrate our Pacific economies—and of course, build up that very important resilience in the Pacific, in helping them.

Can I conclude by congratulating the Samoan government and, especially, the Samoan police force for the absolutely fantastic display they put on. (Time expired)

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.