Australia pledges $68 million to Fiji in budget support as two nations sign an 'elevated' new partnership - ABC News

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speak during a joint media conference at Parliament House.(AAP: Lukas Coch)

Australia has pledged $68 million to Fiji in budget support and has agreed to sell the Pacific nation 14 bushmaster armoured vehicles for its peacekeepers as the two nations sign an "elevated" new partnership agreement in Canberra.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Canberra on Wednesday as he continues a state visit to Australia.

Key points:

• Mr Albanese said the payment would help Fiji with economic recovery from COVID-19 lockdowns
• Mr Rabuka said he wants to focus on security ties with "traditional" friends like Australia
• Mr Rabuka called for Australia to take stronger actions in reducing emissions but said the Pacific had to be "realistic" about demands

The federal government has also promised to streamline visa services for Fiji nationals and intensify efforts to help it deal with escalating cyber security threats.

Mr Rabuka has used the visit to champion his concept of establishing the Pacific as a "Zone of Peace" — although the prime minister freely admits the idea is still embryonic.

"I know that it is naive to believe that can happen, but that's the way we must conduct our domestic affairs so that we do not appear to be aggressive in our relationship with our neighbours and also with our friends that we have had cordial international bilateral relationships with," he said.

Mr Rabuka and Mr Albanese exchange World Cup rugby jerseys.(AAP: Lukas Coch)

Mr Albanese heaped praise on Mr Rabuka, who has moved to limit Fiji's policing cooperation with China, declaring that he wants to focus on security ties with "traditional" friends like Australia and New Zealand.

"Both of us agree that Pacific unity is central to the relationship in our region. And Fiji plays a critical leadership role," Mr Albanese said.

He said the $68 million payment to Fiji would "help economic recovery and to boost growth" in Fiji, which is still grappling with the economic fallout from COVID-19 lockdowns which devastated its tourism industry.

Mr Rabuka has been calling for Australia to take stronger action to phase out fossil fuel use and production.(AAP: Lukas Coch)

Both leaders also acknowledged the scale of the challenge that climate change poses to the Pacific, particularly as sea levels rise.

Several Pacific advocates and politicians have demanded Australia take more rapid action to reduce emissions and scale back fossil fuel production, arguing Australia's current policy settings help fuel an existential crisis for low lying countries in the region.

Mr Rabuka has also been calling for Australia to take stronger action, but this morning said the Pacific had to be "realistic" about demands for larger industrialised countries like Australia to rapidly phase out fossil fuel use and production.

"We do not want them to stop doing what they're doing, we want them to turn down (fossil fuels)," he said.

"You don't just stop everything, it's got to be sustainable."

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2023-10-18 04:57:30Z
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