How Has Australia’s Relationship With the Pacific Changed Over the Last Three Weeks?

Over the last three weeks, Australia has signed a range of security agreements with Pacific countries. Here’s a recap of the agreements and what the response has been.

29th of June – Australia signs Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu

Vanuatu agreed to consult Australia about potential foreign investment and engagement in its critical infrastructure, such as defence or communications infrastructure.

The Nakamal Agreement between Vanuatu and Australia was signed last week, ten months after Vanuatu refused to sign the deal over concerns that its sovereignty would be undermined. 

Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said the agreement was "a recognition of sovereignty" but also provides "certainty for Australia that there will no foreign military base [in Vanuatu]”.

Australia cannot block third parties, such as China, from engaging with Vanuatu as was reportedly part of the original proposal. 

But Vanuatu has agreed to its critical infrastructure remaining free from militarisation and foreign interference.

“Our agreement reflects and confirms Australia's role as Vanuatu's largest and most comprehensive economic, security and development partner,” Albanese said.

Under the agreement, Vanuatu will prioritise Pacific Forum countries, such as Australia, when making policing agreements. Vanuatu will also seek disaster funding from Australia, France and New Zealand first, before asking other countries for assistance.

China and Vanuatu are progressing their own Namele Agreement, but Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Jotham Napat, has said the deal will not involve any security arrangements.

“We will share the [Namele] agreement. There is nothing to hide,” Napat said.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, said the following day that, “cooperation should not target any third party, still less be used as an excuse for geopolitical contest”.

Joanne Wallis, Professor of International Security for Adelaide University was critical of the Nakamal Agreement, she said it “was the latest example of Australia’s ‘sugar-rush’ diplomacy”.

“The treaty has a toothless dispute resolution procedure. If Vanuatu breaches the treaty, such as by accepting Chinese infrastructure funding without consulting Australia, there is little Australia can do,” Wallis wrote in the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

6th of July – Australia signs Defence Treaty with Fiji

Australia signed a defence treaty with Fiji on Monday, called the Veitacini Treaty.

While Australia’s defence treaty with Papua New Guinea (PNG), called the PukPuk Treaty, came into effect on Thursday. 

Both agreements include a mutual defence clause that obligates the respective defence forces to work together to defend each other if their territory is attacked. 

Governments will also need to consult each other if there is a security development that threatens them.

The PukPuk Treaty prevents either PNG or Australia from making agreements that would compromise their ability to implement the treaty.

The Veitacini Treaty is similar, stating that neither country can “act in a manner that would undermine its ability to meet any” of the treaty’s obligations.

The main difference between the treaties is there is a greater level of integration between the defence forces in the PukPuk Treaty.

As up to 10,000 Papua New Guineans can serve in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), while Australians can also serve in PNG’s defence force. 

Whereas Albanese said the Veitacini Treaty is “not about troops in each other's nations” but is about enabling greater cooperation in areas like defence training and cyber security.

But Fiji’s Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, said he would welcome Fijians serving in the ADF, depending on further government agreements.

The Veitacini Treaty also enables other Pacific States to be invited into the agreement if both Fiji and Australia agree.

“I'm sure right now there are other Pacific leaders who are waiting to come in. The more, the stronger, the better,” Rabuka said.

The New Zealand government said it “will engage with Australia and Fiji on the possibility of joining the Ocean of Peace Alliance” in statement released today.

Australia has also committed to spend $1 billion over the next decade to assist Fiji with infrastructure, skills, health, education and transnational crime in a separate Vuvale Union agreement. 

On Monday, a few hours after the Veitacini Treaty was signed, China conducted a missile test in the South Pacific Ocean.

Chinese media said the missile was “a routine arrangement” and was “not directed at any specific country or target”.

Albanese visited the Solomon Islands the following day to meet with Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister, Matthew Wale.

“There is no doubt that this is a provocative act by China which does destabilise the region,” Albanese said at the Joint press conference.

Wale said the missile test “is not something a friend does”. 

“This is not good in our region and as Chair of Pacific Islands Forum I've… registered my strong protest yesterday with the Ambassador,” Wale said.

“Be our friend, but don't threaten us.” 

Australia’s Shadow Foreign Minister, Ted O'Brien, gave credit to the government for the series of bilateral agreements Australia has achieved with Pacific countries in his National Press Club Speech on 24th of June. But O’Brien said what was lacking was an overarching strategic explanation of how the bilateral agreements come together.

Wale has advocated for a regional security pact to bolster intelligence sharing and minimise drug trafficking throughout the Pacific.

“In many ways the missile test is further evidence for the need for [a] regional platform so that the region can speak as one,” Wale said. 

O’Brien and the government both support the creation of a Pacific regional security pact. 

While Albanese said he wants a comprehensive treaty with the Solomon Islands and wants to “fastrack negotiations as soon as possible”.

Wale, who became prime minister in 2026, said he will review Solomon Islands’ security pact with China that was agreed upon in 2022. 

Wale said he is unable to make the security pact public because of a non-disclosure clause. But a leaked draft suggests China can send police personnel to protect their investments and dock their ships in Solomon Islands to refuel.

Wale agreed to Australia providing further training for Solomon Islands Police academy in their recent meeting.