Australia strikes in-principle agreement with Solomon Islands for new treaty
In short:
Australia is set to tip more than $980 million into Solomon Islands as part of a new treaty, a leaked text message says.
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message → strike → treaty
The two countries have been negotiating over the new deal for some time.
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countries → negotiate → time
Sources have told the ABC that negotiations have all but concluded, with the treaty potentially to be signed in coming weeks.
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treaty → tell → weeks
Australia and Solomon Islands have reached an in-principle agreement on a landmark new treaty, with a leaked text message revealing the federal government has promised to plough more than $980 million in additional funding into the Pacific nation as it tries to lock in the pact.
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it → reach → pact
The federal government is racing to get the treaty signed in the coming weeks after Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale successfully warded off a leadership challenge on Monday.
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Wale → race → Monday
Mr Wale was forced to scramble back to Solomon Islands last week just hours after landing in Palau for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders meeting when his Home Affairs Minister, Manasseh Maelanga, launched a motion of no confidence, accusing the prime minister of making major decisions without consulting cabinet.
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Minister → force → cabinet
A message from Australia's High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Jeffrey Roach, to the deputy prime minister Francis Sade last week, which is verified by ABC News and now circulating in political circles, reveals the details of the deal, and shows how Australia was keen to buttress Mr Wale's position as he fought for his political survival.
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he → verify → survival
Mr Roach writes that there had been "terrific progress" on the treaty negotiations, and that Australia was willing to contribute an additional $280 million into the Pacific nation over the next two years under the deal and a further $700 million after that.
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Australia → write → that
He says that will include 820 million Solomon Islands dollars ($142 million) in funding for Mr Wale's signature "free education" policy and SI$275 million ($47.8 million) to provide "visa improvements" and deal with "security requests from Solomon Islands".
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that → say → Islands
Australia also looks set to ramp up support for a sometimes-contentious scheme which funnels money directly to MPs to spend on their constituencies as part of the comprehensive treaty.
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which → ramp → treaty
The message says Australia would contribute SI$5 million ($870,000) to every constituency for MPs' "development priorities" before the end of this year, along with a further SI$3 million ($500,000) per constituency for 2027 and a further $500,000 per constituency in 2028.
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Australia → say → 2028
Solomon Islands parliament has 50 seats, so it would see Australia funnelling a total of some $43 million into constituencies before the end of this year, along with a further $25 million in the following two years.
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Australia → have → years
The message reflects Australian government anxieties that the treaty could be endangered if the prime minister was toppled and replaced by Mr Maelanga or another candidate more sceptical towards Australia, like former leader Manasseh Sogavare.
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minister → reflect → Sogavare
"I very much hope both countries can hold steady to seize this opportunity and lock this in ahead of the November budget session," he writes.
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he → hope → session
Text could spark political tension
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Text → spark → tension
While Mr Roach never directly endorses Mr Wale in his text, the message could still be politically contentious given it was sent in the midst of wrangling over the top job in Solomon Islands.
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it → endorse → Islands
Opposition leader Manasseh Sogavare has repeatedly accused Australia of foreign interference in Solomon Islands, including when he was prime minister.
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he → accuse → Islands
Mr Sade told the ABC there was nothing "political" about the message from the Australian High Commission.
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Sade → tell → Commission
"This was simply an update regarding the progress of the treaty discussions; it was never intended for political expediency," he said.
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he → regard → expediency
"I routinely receive these briefings to stay informed about the Community Partnerships Program."
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I → receive → Program
The leak comes the day after Mr Wale managed to see off the challenge to his leadership, with the GREAT coalition winning back several defectors and recruiting additional opposition MPs to join their side.
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coalition → come → side
On Sunday, Mr Maelanga announced he would withdraw his challenge, effectively acknowledging the prime minister still had the numbers.
Mr Wale told parliament on Monday morning that he wanted to "thank those that stood firm" behind him, as well as his new supporters, while praising Mr Maelanga for backing down.
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that → announce → Maelanga
"I would like to thank the member for withdrawing the motion … and bring[ing] down the temperature, both in the house, but also in the public mind," he said.
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he → like → mind
"What is clear, Mr Speaker, is that the public, not just in Honiara but right across the country … want to see the government be given adequate, reasonable opportunity to be able to deliver on its vision."
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government → want → vision
The prime minister also acknowledged that he had moved at breakneck pace since taking office, saying "many things are changing fast", adding that he had learned lessons from the whole episode.
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he → acknowledge → episode
Canberra moves to seize pro-Australia sentiment
His clear political victory will cause relief in Canberra, which was worried by the prospect of the prime minister being ousted.
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minister → move → prospect
Mr Wale only seized power in May, but has tacked sharply towards Australia and the US since then, signing a new agreement with the US Coast Guard and making it clear that he was deeply sceptical of China's attempts to embed itself as a security partner for the Pacific nation.
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he → seize → nation
Australia has also been racing to complete negotiations on the new treaty with Solomon Islands while Mr Wale retains power, with the government keenly conscious that Solomon Islands politics remains inherently fluid and unpredictable.
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politics → race → power
The Pacific Minister Pat Conroy and senior Australian officials held multiple discussions on the treaty with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Rick Hou and minister Peter Kenilorea Jr on the sidelines of the PIF leaders meeting last week.
In a statement, Mr Wale's office said the discussions "covered key national priorities including education, health, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, skills development, natural resource management and economic growth".
"A key focus was how Australia's development assistance can be better aligned with Solomon Islands' national priorities and contribute to tangible and measurable outcomes for communities," they said.
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they → hold → communities
Treaty negotiations 'substantively concluded'
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negotiations → conclude → ?
The talks came just a week or so after the Foreign Minister Penny Wong also held talks on the treaty with Mr Hou and a host of other Solomon Islands cabinet ministers in Adelaide.
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Minister → come → Adelaide
While negotiations are officially ongoing, the ABC has been told that talks are rapidly coming to a close, with one source saying they are "substantively concluded."
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they → tell → close
An official from the Solomon Islands also said that the two countries had reached a "bilateral understanding" on the treaty.
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countries → say → treaty
Mr Conroy would not be drawn on exactly when the treaty would be signed, saying negotiations were "underway".
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negotiations → draw → ?
"Consistent with all of Australia's bilateral treaty negotiations, we will not comment on the details of the negotiations until the treaty is signed," he said.
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he → comment → negotiations
The government has previously signalled it wanted to sign the pact before the end of the year, but the rapid progress meant the government was beginning to eye possible signing dates within the coming weeks.
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government → signal → weeks
Anthony Albanese and Mr Wale are both expected to attend several high-profile global gatherings, including the September United Nations General Assembly in September and possibly the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda in early November.
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Albanese → expect → November
The former Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Lachlan Strahan, said while the idea of a treaty was not new, the major commitments being made by Australia were "significant".
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commitments → say → Australia
"If that's all new money then that's a step change in the amount of funding," he said.
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he → say → funding
James Batley from the Australian National University said Australia's decision to tip much more money into the constituency funds showed it was willing to do "whatever it takes" to get the deal over the line.
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it → say → line
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
