AUSTRALIA will fund a new border management system to help Fiji track people of interest linked to transnational crime, including drugs and gun smuggling.
Australian Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy said the support was part of Australia’s broader commitment to help Fiji combat transnational crime under the Vuvale Union.
“This is a shared threat throughout the region,” Mr Conroy said.
“But obviously transnational crime and the threat it presents has been magnified in Fiji in recent events.”
Mr Conroy said Australia stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Fiji in combating transnational crime and eliminating gun smuggling in the Pacific.
“This is a priority of the Vuvale Union, and we must work together to combat and disrupt criminal operations.”
He said Australia was using all available tools at the national, bilateral and regional level to help Fiji strengthen its security response.
Australia had already supported Fiji through the provision of two Guardian-class patrol boats and an $83 million investment in the Vuvale Maritime Essential Services Centre to support Fiji’s maritime capabilities.
They’re also working with the Fiji Police Force through Operation Nautilus to disrupt the drug trade.
Mr Conroy said both countries were also working to secure Fiji’s borders through investment in container examination capability at key ports.
“We are announcing today that we are providing financial support for Fiji to acquire an integrated border management system to track people of interest.”
He said transnational crime was not only about illegal goods such as drugs, but also the criminals operating across borders.
Mr Conroy said the Vuvale Union would further strengthen Fiji’s capability across interdiction, policing, legislation, prosecution and intelligence.
He said Australia would also support Fiji’s leadership in developing a stronger regional approach to tackle threats before they reached Fiji.
Canberra pushes Pacific plea
AUSTRALIA has urged the world’s “much larger economies” not to overlook the vulnerability of
Pacific States amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Australia had used its international engagements to
raise the needs of Fiji and the wider Pacific, particularly around fuel supply and pricing pressures.
“We have sought to use our engagements to elevate the needs of the Pacific and to advocate for you,” Ms
Wong said.
“For Pacific Island nations, not to be forgotten by the large economies.”
She said feedback from Fiji and the region showed the immediate concern was not a shortage of fuel,
but the sharp increase in fuel prices.
Ms Wong said fuel was supplied through private commercial supply chains, which had been affected
by the crisis.
She said governments could not replace global supply chains, but could work to make them more resilient.
“Fuel is being sourced from a range of other countries, to reflect the need to add to supply.
“We’ll keep working with the Pacific on how we best, collectively engage with those global supply chains to
ensure that fuel is supplied.”
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka thanked the Australian government for taking a regional approach to helping sustain fuel supplies in the Pacific.
“Fiji has a responsibility, as you do, to other Pacific islands countries, a responsibility that we take
seriously, and we would like to honour,” Mr Rabuka said.
Trust high despite concerns
DESPITE concerns about Fiji’s “compromised institutions”, the Australian government’s trust in Fiji’s security institutions remains “extremely high”.
Australian Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy said the level of trust was reflected in the close defence and policing arrangements already in place between the two countries.
Responding to the media, Mr Conroy pointed to existing military and police exchanges as practical
examples of the confidence Australia continued to place in Fiji’s institutions.
“We right now have an entire company of the Fijian military embedded in the 7th brigade of the Australian armies,” Mr Conroy said.
“We also have Australian defence force officers embedded in your armed forces.
“We have police personnel embedded in each other’s forces, as well, particularly AFP.”
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong also added that the partnership was based on principles,
including sovereignty and democracy.
She said Australia worked with Fiji in areas identified by Fiji as priorities, including strengthening
resilience, institutions and capacity.
