Television Interview, Vanuatu Broadcasting

SUBJECTS: Australia-Vanuatu relationship; Cook Barracks redevelopment; Pacific partnerships.

JOURNALIST, JAMIE BROWN: First of all, congratulations on the Vanuatu-Australia project, partnership that was launched today, the Cook Barracks. Congratulations. 

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: Thank you. It was a very special day at a fantastic facility. $106 million AUD has been invested in both the Cook Barracks and Tiroas Barracks, and it completely changes the accommodation and service, really, for those in the Vanuatu Mobile Force. And one of the things I've come to learn is that for our uniformed services like the Vanuatu Mobile Force or Vanuatu Police Force, the people are a heart of it, and you can't have a more important investment than investing in the conditions that people do their work in. It's such an important thing to decide to give service to your country. What matters is that people are able to do that in surroundings which are fit for purpose, which are comfortable, which enable them to have their families there. But along the way, you know, the money that has been spent on this has almost all been spent in the Vanuatu economy. And so we've seen more than 1,000 people work on this project, more than 600 acquire a white card standard qualification. This is really building the skills, the experience of a whole cohort of people which helps build the nation. 

BROWN: Thank you. Before we go further into that, the Australian Foreign Minister, Penny Wong and the former Prime Minister, the Hon Ishmael Kalsakau, have signed a security agreement back in December 2022. But the pact still hasn't been ratified by the Vanuatu Parliament. So do you, by any chance press that concern on your visit here, with your counterparts regarding probably such delay with the pact?

MARLES: Well, actually, we see that there's opportunity. I met with Prime Minister Salwai this morning, I was able to spend the day– the morning, with him. What is clear is that there is a desire in Vanuatu to broaden the agreement, to have it cover security issues, but not just security issues, look at the economic opportunities which exist between Vanuatu and Australia. We agree with that. We think that there is an enormous opportunity for us to envisage this in a wider way and we are hopeful that we will be able to conclude negotiations for a broader and wider agreement, which includes security, but which also looks at other ways in which we can cooperate economically and I think that’s not too distant in the future. So we're actually very comfortable with the dialog that we have with Vanuatu Government around this.

BROWN: So the Vanuatu Police Minister has attended a meeting with the Chinese minister for public safety and several other police ministers last week. Is Australia uneasy about this given you said that China should have, quote, no role in Pacific policy? And have you by any chance, raised any concern on this front with the Minister?

MARLES: Well, firstly, we understand that the countries that Vanuatu ministers choose to meet with is ultimately a matter for Vanuatu. So, that's that is fine. What we have put to the Vanuatu Government is that we seek to be the partner of choice for Vanuatu. We don’t get that by right, we need to earn that and what we've done in terms of the investment in Cook Barracks is a really good example of how we're not just walking the walk, but we are talking the talk– sorry, not just talking the talk, but we are walking the walk and actually investing in the capability of Vanuatu. At the recent Pacific Islands Forum, we announced a significant policing initiative across the Pacific, and we see that there's real opportunity to be working with Vanuatu in relations to that. So, we're focused on our own relationship with Vanuatu. I mean, the reality is that we are the closest of neighbours. There is a strong people-to-people connection between our two countries, and there is actually a deep affinity between the Ni‑Vanuatu people and Australian people. And I think our job as government is to allow that affinity to be given its full expression and I think the Cook Barracks is a good example of that, but I think our ongoing dialogue with the Vanuatu Government is a good example of that. 

BROWN: Back to the Cook Barracks’ recent launch. How would the new Vanuatu military barracks strengthen the defence relationship between Australia and Vanuatu? 

MARLES: Well, we think there's real opportunity to be doing more between the Australian Defence Force and the Vanuatu Mobile Force. There’s in fact very deep links between the Vanuatu Mobile Force and NORFORCE in Australia, which is one of the units in Australia which does coastal surveillance. We'd like to see whether there are opportunities to revitalize those links, to create opportunities for our personnel to work more closely together. This is as much a benefit for Australia as it is for Vanuatu. It gives our service personnel an incredible opportunity to come here, or in Australia, to work closely with members of the Vanuatu Mobile Force. But we hope in the process that what it does is enable an opportunity to build skills and capability for the Vanuatu Mobile Force. So we will continue to, not just look at infrastructure, but that is important, and obviously we're doing that with Tiroas and the Cook Barracks, but also look, in an operational sense, about ways in which we can build our cooperation, learn more from each other, do more exercises and operations together.

BROWN: So what are the, given the launch the new barracks, what are Australia’s future plans to help Vanuatu with its defence needs, after building the barracks?

MARLES: Well, as I say, we'll keep working very cooperatively with Vanuatu. I mean, we work through the Vanuatu Police Force, of course, and then the Vanuatu Mobile Force. We also do a lot in the maritime space with the Pacific Maritime Program, and we've got the landing craft that Vanuatu is using, a couple of other watercraft that we've helped provide, and the Guardian class patrol boat, that Vanuatu will be using in the maritime wing of the Vanuatu Police Force, is currently under repair in Cairns, but we hope to see that back in service in the not too distant future. I mean, all of this represents a very comprehensive suite of engagement between not just the Australia Defence Force, but the Australian Federal Police and the Vanuatu maritime force and Vanuatu Police Force. We want to keep doing that. We basically are here to try and help as much as we can in building the capability of uniformed services here in Vanuatu. 

BROWN:I understand Australia invested a large amount of money with the barracks. How does this project fits into Australia’s goals in the Pacific, especially with other current countries becoming more involved in the region?

MARLES: Well, again, it's about building our relationship with the region. We are very focused on creating a step change in terms of Australian government focus on improving the human development, the economic prosperity of the Pacific, and the peoples and countries of the Pacific. That's our goal. And that's very much an issue, if you like, between Australia and the countries of the Pacific. That's going to be our focus. Small island states have challenges, innately. You’re talking about smaller populations in geographically remote areas, trying to build sustainable economies. It's a much harder thing to do than it is to build an economy across large numbers of people on a significant land mass. And we've got expertise in terms of the history of our working with the people of the Pacific, but what we're focused on is that, and we're focused on making sure that at the centre of our engagement with the countries of the Pacific is improving human development. Now that does mean we, you know, we think there's much more we can do in terms of economic cooperation, particularly for a country like Vanuatu, which is so close to Australia, where there's such a significant tourism flow from Australia here. I mean, there is a lot of opportunity, as there is, of course, for Ni-Vanuatu people coming to Australia and working in our economy, which is now happening in significant number. But that economic activity happens on a platform, on base of peace and security. So getting that part of it right is important as well. That's our focus: it's our focus here, it's our focus across the Pacific.

BROWN: Speaking of regional security, how will the new barracks help with regional security, disaster response and with challenges like climate change? 

MARLES: Well, I think, I think one of the real benefits of this is disaster response. We're all aware of how disaster prone Vanuatu is in terms of, not just cyclones, but an increasing number of cyclones, but also earthquakes, mudslides and the like. So this is a country which often has to deal with natural disaster, and a climate resilient building, or set of buildings, such as what we've got at Cook Barracks, is going to be really important in terms of building that local capability to respond much more quickly to natural disasters when they occur. It is one thing, an important thing, to bring in capability from a place like Australia in the aftermath of a disaster, but it's much more powerful if you have disaster resilient infrastructure here, which has capability that can be brought to bear as immediately the disaster subsides. And I think that's the opportunity that the Cook Barracks represents. 

BROWN: Thank you, Honourable Deputy Prime Minister for your time. Just to round up, the last question is, is there any other defence project or partnership between Australia and Vanuatu that we should expect in the future? 

MARLES: As I say, we'll continue to look for opportunities where we can work more closely together at the defence level. But beyond defence, we are really looking forward to reaching an agreement with the Vanuatu Government on security, but more broadly, on greater economic cooperation. This country has so much potential and we really have such a great opportunity to unleash that potential by enabling our two peoples to engage with each other more economically, and I think that’s the aim of both governments. 

BROWN: Thank you so much. 

MARLES: Thank you, great to see you. 

ENDS