Doorstop, Fiji

SUBJECTS: South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting (SPDMM); Defence Training Hub; Pacific Response Group (PRG)

PETER KHALIL [ASSISTANT MINISTER]: Good afternoon everyone. Thank you so much for the great presentations we've seen today about the wonderful work that you do, the important work that you do here at Blackrock. It's great to see the detail and the commitment from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and the work that they do here at Blackrock. I am absolutely honoured to be here at Blackrock this afternoon with all of my South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting representatives. We've seen the Blackrock Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Camp here in Fiji and it is very, very impressive. I want to also acknowledge all of the officials, especially Mark Hammond, the Australian Chief of Defence Force and all of the chiefs and heads of defence who have been with us today and yesterday at the SPDMM meetings. I would also like to thank Minister Pio Tikoduadua for bringing us here today and congratulate him and his team for their very, very successful hosting of SPDMM 2026. It has been a truly remarkable experience. This year at SPDMM, we are all discussing the emerging trends and security challenges facing the region and it's really about how we can enhance collaboration to promote a secure and resilient region. To put it simply, I think when the militaries of the Pacific work together, we are an asset for the region and not only an asset for the region. I think the work that we do is really an investment in our shared resilience and Blackrock of course is a key component of our partnership, Australia's defence partnership with Fiji, as it enhances the delivery of security training for the Republic of Fiji Military Forces. It really is wonderful to be here at these facilities here today, see them in action, hear from the officers who are doing this important work in humanitarian relief and all of the work that you've been doing on peacekeeping and training as well.

The Blackrock camp is state of the art facilities. It's also, I think, the perfect place to launch today. I'm very proud to be able to announce and launch the new Defence Training Hub Pacific, we'll call it the Hub, as an example of our shared resilience. This has been developed as an initiative of the SPDMM. It is a new online platform which improves access to professional development opportunities across the region. I know many people here have worked hard across the region to make this new state of the art online platform a reality and it demonstrates the deep partnership across our Pacific nations. It is very much a hands-on example of how we can learn new ways of working together across our region to enhance regional security at a time of great uncertainty and growing conflict that we see across the globe. The Hub will build capability and make training opportunities more accessible for Pacific defence and security personnel. It's going to bring together training opportunities from Australia, Pacific and Pacific Quadrilateral Defence Coordinating Group nation partners into a single accessible platform. Every day we become more interoperable with each other. Every day we do that is a day we have improved our ability to meet the challenges that we face collectively. And as we face growing shared security challenges, the Hub will be a great example of pragmatic collaboration in the virtual classroom to ensure closer cooperation on the ground. More than 150 courses are already available and this is set to grow over the coming months. Fiji has a proud and long-standing record of contributing to international peacekeeping operations. We've heard today some of the work and the history of that. And Australia is here to partner with Fiji and all our friends in the Pacific family, and it truly is a family, on all the initiatives that bring our countries closer together. And I want to make the point, emphasise the point, that this collaboration, these partnerships, this work that we do together is done in times of celebration, but it's also in times of difficulty as well. And together we are always stronger. Australia is a partner in the region that you can count on, which is why we will continue to listen to our neighbours and allies, support Pacific-led solutions and work together to help preserve a peaceful, stable and prosperous Blue Pacific region where sovereignty is respected.

I do want to commend Minister Pio Tikoduadua and Fiji particularly on its great efforts to show regional leadership alongside Australia and many of our Pacific friends. The historic Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance between Fiji and Australia represents one of the most significant endeavours our countries have undertaken. They will transform Australia and Fiji's relationship, underpinning the region's prosperity, security and resilience for generations to come. The Vuvale Union sets out ambitious commitments across the breadth of our relationship, they're tangible commitments as well. And it will deepen integration between our security economies and our people. The Oceans of Peace Alliance is a mutual defence treaty and it commits Australia and Fiji to come to each other's aid at times of greatest need. I also want to acknowledge Fiji's leadership in forging regional consensus on a Pacific-led transitional serious and organised crime initiative, Waqa Moana, and its commitment to using existing regional security architecture to strengthen collective maritime security, information sharing and regional resilience. Waqa Moana reflects the priorities of Pacific leaders and supports a coordinated regional response to shared security challenges. Australia is supporting this initiative and will invest $312 million over the next decade to strengthen maritime security cooperation and improve maritime domain awareness across the Pacific. Australia's contribution to Waqa Moana will deliver practical capability that helps Pacific partners’ capacity to detect, to deter and to disrupt illicit maritime activity and transnational criminal activity, strengthen maritime sovereignty and deepened regional operation to address shared security challenges.

When I talked about the tangible nature of these initiatives, they are around support, our support for air mobility, aerial surveillance and aviation engagement, and support for regional maritime interdiction efforts. We've also gifted 23 Guardian-class Patrol Boats and three landing craft delivered to 12 Pacific partners alongside other maritime assets. I had the great pleasure and privilege of visiting Tonga last year spending time with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty King Tupoutoʻa with one of those beautiful boats and we actually went out on one of them. It was a nice tour around. It wasn't that long but it was a great event. To see that in action happening was a real privilege and we will continue to provide training and support the safe and effective operation of those vessels with all of our Pacific partners. And I want to be careful about getting ahead of live tenders at the moment, but we are in negotiations again, I mentioned the multibillion-dollar Pacific Maritime Security Program that is already in place and our commitment and investment in Waqa Moana. We are looking at acquiring two Bluebottles, uncrewed surface vessels, these are really a great Aussie success story, the most advanced maritime surveillance autonomous vessel in the world. The Chief of Defence Force was telling me that we have already nine on patrol in supporting Australia's maritime work as well, and these will support efforts to combat transnational and serious organised crime. Working with Fiji to begin with as part of our work with them and the importance of this is that they will provide persistent long endurance surveillance helping Fiji detect, monitor and respond to illicit activity at sea. It's a significant piece of work and as I said in my initial remarks, these are the tangible outcomes, many of the tangible outcomes that come out of the strength of our Vuvale Partnership and our commitment to a peaceful, stable and secure Pacific. 

In conclusion, as a Pacific nation and a founding member of the Pacific Islands Forum, Australia is committed to supporting a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous. And I'm here today with Minister Pio, fellow Defence Ministers we've had a great opportunity to meet with today and have a number of very important bilateral meetings, as well as our joint meetings in the SPDMM sessions. And all our efforts, all of our lines of effort at this political level, clearly, is to support our militaries in doing their very important, critical work that they do. And that work is about building that stronger Pacific family so we can all make our own decisions. We can make those decisions as strong sovereign nations, independent, free from coercion, free to grow and to live in peace and to protect our way of life. Thank you.

PIO TIKODUADUA [FIJI DEFENCE MINISTER]: Let me also take this time, on behalf of all of us, the Defence Ministers, the Secretaries, the Chiefs of Defence Forces, the various heads of delegation of the observer states, and also your members and all the delegations here today, to record our appreciation to the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and, in turn, to the Commander of the General Task Forces for hosting us here at the Blackrock Camp facility. I know you're all eager to get out and visit the place and then to check out for yourself the relevance of everything that they've so candidly and articulately told us about the capacities that are here, and no doubt that I hear so you'll see for yourself and you know, thank you Commander, for this opportunity and your staff hosting us here and I think you'll get to see more of our surroundings. 

The announcements that I made to see Blackrock feature more prominently in the security of our region and as the Chief of Staff noted in the last portion of the briefing, Fiji always stands ready. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. But if we progress, I'm sure things will be better here. So, once again, thank you Commander, CJTF and for the men and women who work here for you, ladies and gentlemen, your Royal Highness, Crown Prince of Tonga, our recent Defence Ministers, senior officials, our partners, members of the media and the men and women of the Republic and chiefly military forces, especially those of you that are here at Blackrock. It is a pleasure to again, I know you've been welcomed already to welcome you to Blackrock Camp, a facility that reflects Fiji's long-standing contribution to peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and industrial response. For nearly half a century, Fiji has answered the call to serve in peacekeeping missions across the world. Since our first deployment to Lebanon in 1978, tens of thousands of Fijians have served in peacekeeping missions across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Often in some of the world's most difficult and dangerous environments, and not to mention our own issues across here in the Pacific. As a small island nation, this represents an extraordinary contribution. It reflects the value we place on collective action and our belief that looking for peace is a shared responsibility of all nations, large or small. 

This is particularly important to the Pacific, where our countries face shared challenges including natural disasters, climate-related emergencies and other security challenges that require us to work together. Through the South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting we have demonstrated through the development of the Pacific Response Group, or commonly known as the PRG, that we stand prepared to respond to future crises as one. 

Now, in that spirit, I am pleased to announce today that Fiji wishes to host the Pacific Response Group in the future. The Pacific Response Group has grown into an important reflection of Pacific military cooperation. Fiji would be honoured to host the PRG and support the construct as it continues to develop as an effective regional response mechanism. As you will see during your tour today, Blackrock Camp is purpose-built to support regional military cooperation. It is a world-class facility established in the region not only for peacekeeping, but also to support multilateral regional training, exercises and activities. This venue provides an important opportunity to bring our Pacific partners together, strengthen our coordination, interoperability and further develop our collective capacity to respond the human cavern in disaster situations across our region. For Fiji, this is about putting our commitment to the Pacific family into practical action. Hosting the Pacific Response Group would allow us to continue building those relationships, strengthening our capabilities and ensuring that we are better prepared to support one another where it matters most.

JOURNALIST: Just on the Oceans of Peace Alliance - how does Australia plan to honour its obligation without compromising [Indistinct]?

KHALIL: Okay, so with the Oceans of Peace alliances and the Vuvale Union, I think the most significant agreement, treaty, it's a defence treaty where we come to each other's assistance in times of need. But as I mentioned in my opening remarks, there is substance to this as well. The Waqa Moana and the investment in. In that and the work that we're doing for air surveillance, maritime capacity and capability, and the support that we are providing with Fiji and working with Fiji to tackle that very, very critical challenge that we're facing. What we've started to call the existential challenge of the illicit drug trade is a really substantive line of effort which sits within the Ocean's Peace Alliance. But of course, the Ocean's Peace Alliance is much broader than that you heard today, discussion around the other joint challenges we face. There are other existential challenges like climate change, terrorism, the obligation that we have as nations to contribute to the peace, stability, and security of our region and to protect the way of life of our people. That is the fundamental why of the Oceans of Peace Alliance. And I am so pleased that I was saying in our meetings today that the fact that our friendship and our alliance is based on values, it's based on a foundation that is solid because we all care about ensuring peace and security for our people and their way of life into the future. That comes with the coordinated efforts that we're having along defence lines of effort. I mentioned some of the support around airframes and surveillance. I mentioned the Blue Bottles, which we're negotiating for acquisition for Fiji, which are Uncrewed Surface Vessels, which are some of the most advanced autonomous vessels in the world and will do a very important job with long endurance. I think it's about six months if I'm correct, Chief. That's right. Six months of endurance to be able to interdict and deter and actually deal with some of that illicit drug trade and that illegal movement. These are the kinds of substantive things that we can do together with Fiji in our work to provide that stability and security in the region.

JOURNALIST: After the Pacific Transnational Crime Summit, what is one practical change Fiji and the wider Pacific wants to see in the region's response to transnational crime?

TIKODUADUA: Yeah, I mean, the most essential element is the exchange of information. This is essential and critical. If we are unable to share this information to each other, to work around this nation's solutions, or work out region solutions, much of our effort will go wasted. So, for me, the sharing of information is probably the most important part.

JOURNALIST: Question for the Honourable Minister, sir, with Fiji being the host, what message would Fiji like the region and international partners to take away from this year's meeting?

TIKODUADUA: Well, Fiji is reliable and interested. So, you see our leaders, you know, part of the outcomes from Palau had seven actionable things that they wanted. The very first one is peace. We are all guided by that, the Ocean of Peace Alliance, you know, then we talk about our bilaterals with Australia in particular, where we have the Vuvale Union and we talk about all these ideas of how peace is acquired and maintained and that essentially covers all of the essential areas that the contributing factors that affect peace. So, we would like to say that Fiji is at the forefront of that, and we appreciate our partners like Australia, like New Zealand, like every member states of SPDMM. When you all come together, we want to say that we are here for you; we are ready. You know, we want to be there at the forefront, assuring everyone else that our nations are in good hands in the Pacific. But through that, we need to be able to work with each other, partner with each other, through some of the initiatives that we will be able to benefit from whilst working with all of our partners who are here with us.

JOURNALIST: So, with the meeting taking place, is there any discussion centred around humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations?

TIKODUADUA: Yes, of course. That is central to the work of PRG. So, we say Fiji, we want to lead the effort in the Pacific, and we registered our interest; now we have the facilities. We're doing it already anyway. We're developing the capability. You know, in addition to our naval platforms, our maritime platforms, we're also looking at the air capability that will deliver these assistance to the places not only within the Fijian islands, but also to the region if they need them, you know, aircraft that we have. So, those are some of the great tangibles that are going to be coming out of this. And one of the major areas that it will benefit. So, I mean, we have a camp for it. So, there's a yard next door that we filled up, ready for the next crisis or the next disaster to happen.

KHALIL: Can I just add on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief is, as the Minister said, central to the work of the Pacific Response Group, which is an initiative that's coming out of the South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting. Fiji has been a real leader in this, and the idea behind this is bringing together the militaries of the Pacific to work together, as the Minister said, effectively to provide that humanitarian assistance and disaster relief where needed in Fiji, if it's Fiji, but broadly across the Pacific. And that is, I think, when we talk about working together, that you see the benefit that comes from working together in this capacity because we support each other, we provide those assets, those capabilities, we complement each other. We rely on Fiji's expertise in many respects as well. They rely on our particular good qualities, and those complement each other. And when we work together across multiple militaries, we can provide that humanitarian assistance, disaster relief. We know that there's a very, very difficult season coming up as far as climate, and we talked about the impacts of climate change. We're expecting to see some great challenges, so that's why we're preparing and working together as countries within the construct of the South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting and the Pacific Response Group.

TIKODUADUA: You witnessed it, you heard from some of the briefings earlier on today about how well we can extend military capabilities that, you know, that we have in region, to curtail some of the threats that we are experiencing directly here in Fiji. So, one of the threats that has been identified in these areas, there's great capacity. You know, the Minister talked about Blue Bottles. You know, I'm not a Nadi guy, but he told me that it can look out, you know, so many tens of nautical miles out into the sea. And it's durable and it's out there and you can track it to where it goes. Some of the issues here dealing in, you know, transnational of vast crime, drugs, you know coming into the region, unregulated issues. We use these resources to capture the kind of information that will allow us to deal with it in time and effectively. So, and so they're not only for military purposes, they’re actually about keeping all our people safe. So, you know, it enhances, you know, the work of every other security law and order, you know, agency treating customs, police, immigration, all the information that they will acquire out of this system. So, the systems that we acquire will carry, including the naval platforms and the air capability; they all target one thing: just keeping our people safe.

KHALIL: I think that just to add the Minister's right when we talk about the pointy end of the spear, which is our militaries and our collaboration, the collaboration is with, between militaries, but also with our law enforcement agencies, our border forces, all of these different security agencies, because in the end militaries defend nations, defend our borders, but it's more than that. We're defending our people against the social impacts, terrible impacts from drugs and drug use. We're defending our economic interests against illegal fishing. That's what our militaries are doing, working together with each other, but also with our other agencies and our law enforcement.

TIKODUADUA: And more particularly, we listen and our way of life, that's the important thing at the end of the day. That's how we should see these capabilities going forward. They're not just there as decorations for it. They're actually there to keep people safe. 

JOURNALIST: I believe some mentioned that people were not aware of what Fiji was committing itself to in terms of agreements. Just your reassurance that this is for the betterment and security of Fiji?

TIKODUADUA: I think that pressure is a bit harsh. I think in the democratic society we value varying opinions about our life and the way we want to spirit. I think there's great value. It's an important democratic process for people to be able to share, you know, their views openly. And I'm glad that in Fiji today, under this government, people have the freedom and the space to say examples in their mind. That does not come easy, mind you. So, we encourage those voices. Ultimately, at the end of the day, it is a matter of the state is to look after itself. And we've been talking about that the whole weekend. And today, you know, there's no big secret about anything I tell you, you know, so we've done the consultations that deserved of it. We've spoken to so many communities as well. It's going through the parliamentary system right now. Those are the forums where they are discussed. But the government is committed; this government is committed to protecting its people. We are not here to compete with anyone. It's not for competition. It's keeping our families safe and ultimately, you know, we'll do our best to keep our family safe. And I think any response against the Treaty must be taken in that context. Is it going to keep my family safe? And I say yes, it will. Thank you. Thank you.

ENDS