Page 15 - IB March 2018 Edition

Politics

Australia is also lagging other OECD
nations with its climate finance commit-
ments. By 2020, Australian governments
must ramp up public climate financing to
meet Canberra’s fair share of global tar-
gets, requiring a massive increase beyond
existing commitments.
Since the 2009 Copenhagen summit,
Australia’s public climate finance has been
drawn completely from the aid budget. At
a time when there is widespread debate in
Australia about energy security and pric-
ing, there is little if any discussion about
where to find new and innovative sources
of climate funding. Neither the Coalition
nor ALP has said where extra money could Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his official visit to Fiji in July 2015. China
come from, at a time that budget papers remains one of Fiji’s biggest allies after the West turned its back on the South Pacific republic. Photo: SCMP
predict overseas aid will sink to 0.2 per
cent of gross national income by 2020. with those countries which have a defence feature of regional politics in coming years.
Countries like France and New Zealand force…..it would benefit us to see the Successive governments in Canberra have
are addressing this challenge, through capability of the Pacific Island Countries’ already chosen sides in these debates,
studies on financial transaction taxes, re- defence forces grow.” wary of new nation states being created
directing fossil fuel subsidies, or cracking But whose security are we talking about? across Melanesia. But popular support
down on fiscal avoidance in tax havens. During conflicts in Bougainville, Solomon for self-determination will inevitably
Given smaller island states will always Islands and New Caledonia, churches and complicate bilateral relationships with
need public investment, emerging Asian NGOs posed alternative perspectives on Port Moresby, Jakarta and Paris, as well
economies are filling the gap, through in- regional security that didn’t put defence of as Australia’s role in the Pacific Islands
stitutions like China’s Asian Infrastructure Australia at the heart of the debate. They Forum.
Investment Bank (AIIB). have advocated spending more resources A central challenge for Australian gov-
on “human security” rather than “national ernments is to resolve this contradiction
White paper highlights security security” – yet Australian governments between global and regional priorities.
According to the 2017 Foreign Policy prioritise the latter in funding and tech- The White Paper wants to increase “our
White Paper, Australia’s approach to the nical assistance (83 per cent of the $2.6 exports of high-quality coal and LNG” to
region will focus on “helping to integrate billion spent on RAMSI went on policing, Asia but also lead the Pacific debate on
Pacific countries in the Australian and law and justice programmes, while many climate policy. Australia can’t do both.
New Zealand economies and our security Solomon Islanders were calling for greater The 2017 ‘joint statement of enhanced
institutions.” resources to be allocated to development strategic partnership between Australia
The renewed Australian engagement initiatives that bolster community security, and France’ highlights the increasing
is often framed as a policy of strategic in agriculture, employment and women’s global engagement between Canberra and
denial to protect the homeland from an empowerment). Paris, and follows the decision to extend
arc of instability. Some Pacific citizens will be anxious full Forum membership to New Caledo-
In August 2017, Turnbull and then about extensive new support for the nia and French Polynesia. This amplifies
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare signed Papua New Guinea Defence Force or the the capacity of the French Republic to
a bilateral security treaty between Aus- Republic of Fiji Military Forces, given hu- intervene in this regional security debate,
tralia and the Solomon Islands. This was man rights abuses during the 1990s war because the French state – and not govern-
followed in September by bilateral MOUs on Bougainville and coups in Fiji. As the ments in Noumea or Papeete – controls key
on security partnership with Tuvalu and Forum launches a regional dialogue on a legal powers over defence, policing and the
Nauru. Australia has committed AU$2 new “Biketawa-Plus” security framework, military in France’s Pacific dependencies.
billion to the Pacific Maritime Security there will be calls to prioritise support for Despite Australia’s new Pacific asser-
Programme over the next 30 years, with actors beyond the defence forces. tiveness, it will be increasingly difficult
support to provide 19 replacement patrol The Australian Foreign Policy White Pa- to paper over contested visions for the
boats across the Pacific and an aerial sur- per also dodges the complex and challeng- future. Within the Forum, fundamental
veillance capability to bolster Pacific island ing debate around self-determination in policy differences over climate change,
maritime security. Pacific territories administered by France, trade and decolonisation will continue to
The call for security integration was the United States and New Zealand, as complicate regional relations. There will
echoed by the ALP’s Richard Marles, in well as in neighbouring countries like be new calls to transform the regional
a major speech to the Lowy Institute last Indonesia and Papua Guinea. There is architecture, as these differences reinforce
November. The Shadow Defence Minister just one paragraph on Bougainville and no the growing sentiment that Australia and
argued that the first “cornerstone” for re- mention of New Caledonia or West Papua. New Zealand should play a different role
newed Pacific engagement “is a far more Despite this silence, debates around au- within the Forum.
extensive and deeper defence relationship tonomy or independence will be a central r nicmaclellan@optusnet.com

Islands Business, March 2018 15