Television Interview, News24 Newsday

SUBJECTS: South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting; ADF Recruitment

TOM CONNELL [HOST]: Defence and security in the Pacific has been a major issue in the past few months. We have Pacific Defence Ministers gathering to discuss that very issue, and that's where we find our next guest, Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil. Thank you for joining us up there from sunny Fiji. Looks pretty windy there as well. I'm interested because Fiji signed its first ever mutual defence treaty with any country with Australia in July, shortly after China tested those long-range ballistic missiles in the Pacific. What, in your discussions, are you getting the sense of Fijian leaders and other leaders have made of that in terms of how resolute they are to continue on the path they're on?

PETER KHALIL [ASSISTANT MINISTER]: Yeah, that's right, Tom. I think the Ocean of Peace Alliance that we signed with Fiji is significant. We've also got treaties with Papua New Guinea, as well as great progress with Vanuatu as well with the Nakamal Agreement. So, there's been a really concerted effort amongst Pacific Island nations to work together on our joint security and the stability of the region that we all live in. And we're doing that, I think, very effectively through the South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting that we're having here in Fiji this week. Multiple countries are members of that: Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia, France, Chile as well, which is a Pacific country. And we're all working together to ensure the security and stability of the region through our partnerships. Look, on the test that you mentioned, there was great concern, deep concern by many of the countries around that testing, the lack of transparency by China in making that test. And there was a strongly worded response to that by most of the Pacific countries in response to the lack of transparency.

CONNELL: And the talk there at the meeting too, is it seen as pretty obvious, the timing of it, but not going to affect resolve – instead strengthening resolve, if anything?

KHALIL: Look, what I'm seeing here in our first day of meetings with the Defence Ministers is a strong resolve about our joint objectives and our shared values in a Pacific that is free, open, stable, resilient. We've committed an investment to support and work with our partners like Fiji and all the Pacific countries in an agreement called Waqa Moana, which is a huge investment that we've made – over $300 million into working with our partners to stop and interdict illicit drug trafficking that is making its way to Australia, through the assets that we're working and providing to our partners to do that. There's a strong commitment by the Pacific countries to do that work with Australia. A lot of it is also based on values, Tom. This is really important. What we have is a Pacific family. People say this all the time, but it's actually true. The way I was made to feel welcomed by Minister Pio Tikoduadua, the Fijian minister, really brought home to me how we are a family, how we do share a future together in this region, and how we need to work together to make sure that we have a stable and prosperous region for our children and our grandchildren.

CONNELL: In terms of security back home, I was interested to read the release. So, anyone enlisting in the ADF permanently, the total commitment they're required to give has gone from five years to 10 years. That's as of October 1, so I understand if you then leave, you have some sort of commitment through reservist duties. Why the doubling of that? Why that big increase?

KHALIL: Yeah, it's an important step, Tom, to really ensure that we have the ability to access reserves, reserve forces. There's something like over 30,000 reserve forces at the moment; around 8,000 are inactive. But given the strategic, operational and other challenges that we face as a nation in what are very volatile times, as you know, being able to reach in and have people with experience, frankly, who've served, come back into the reserves is a really important element in ensuring we have the capabilities and the numbers available. Now we're at a high watermark with recruitment. We're almost at 70,000 permanent forces. This reserve step, this reform, actually opens up that, the increase of the commitment, the years of commitment, opens up even more reservists to be able to come back in and do their reserve service as needed.

CONNELL: And so is there any concern, though, on enlistment? Because there's been a lot of years of trying to increase that. Suddenly you're doubling commitment, and presumably this is, you know, the sort of thing that happens if somehow a war breaks out on our doorstep or on our shores.

KHALIL: Well, it's always important, Tom, to ensure that we have the personnel available and the capabilities, frankly, available to meet the challenges that we face as a nation. Doubling the years of commitment is really about increasing the number of reserves that will be available when called upon, who want to put their hand up and serve in the reserves. As I said, there's over 30,000 reserve forces at the moment. About 8,000 are inactive. That number will double so those inactive reservists can come back in as needed when they put their hand up. So, that's, I think, a prudent step that we're taking alongside the fact that we are at the high watermark of recruitment, where we've got up to almost 70,000 permanent ADF forces.

CONNELL: Peter Khalil, appreciate your time. I'll let you get back to it. Thank you.

KHALIL: Thanks very much, Tom.

ENDS