Fiji has secured more than $280 million in new Australian investment since the renewal of the Vuvale Partnership in October 2023, with the commitment reinforced today as Fiji and Australia signed two landmark agreements aimed at deepening cooperation on security, economic development and regional stability.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance, also known as the Veitacini Mutual Defence Treaty, describing the agreements as ushering in a new era in Fiji–Australia relations.
Speaking after the signing, Rabuka says the treaties formally elevate the bilateral relationship into a comprehensive strategic partnership built on three pillars – partnership, integration and regionalism.
He also acknowledged Australia's expanded development assistance to the Pacific, which now totals AUD$2.2 billion, including a further increase of AUD$63 million, describing it as a strong demonstration of Australia's commitment to the stability, resilience and prosperity of the Blue Pacific region amid increasing global uncertainty.
The Prime Minister says the treaties respond to the region's evolving security environment, including transnational organised crime, illicit drug trafficking, cyber threats and emerging public health challenges such as the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and HIV.
Rabuka says the new partnership also recognises that economic security and national security are closely linked, with both countries committing to greater collaboration in health, education, critical infrastructure, labour mobility, transport and logistics, energy transition, digital transformation, cybersecurity and policing.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describes the signing of the two agreements as "one of the most significant endeavours Australia has undertaken with any country."
Albanese says the level of ambition reflected the unique relationship between the two nations.
He says Australia was honoured when Rabuka proposed Fiji's first alliance through the Ocean of Peace Alliance and noted that the Vuvale Union sets out ambitious commitments spanning security, the economy and people-to-people cooperation.
