Arabic version: أستراليا وجزر سليمان تتوصلان إلى اتفاق مبدئي بشأن معاهدة
According to ABC News, Australia and Solomon Islands have reached an in-principle agreement on a new treaty, with negotiations said to be close to completion and a signing potentially possible in the coming weeks. The Australian government is seeking to finalise the pact after Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale defeated a leadership challenge.
A text message from Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Jeffrey Roach, to Deputy Prime Minister Francis Sade said Australia was prepared to provide more than $980 million in additional funding. The message, verified by ABC News, said $280 million could be provided over the next two years, followed by a further $700 million.
The proposed support includes 820 million Solomon Islands dollars, listed as $142 million, for Mr Wale’s free education policy, and SI$275 million, listed as $47.8 million, for visa improvements and security requests. It also outlined funding for constituency development priorities: SI$5 million for every constituency before the end of the year, SI$3 million per constituency for 2027 and a further $500,000 per constituency in 2028.
Mr Sade said the High Commission message was an update on treaty discussions and was not intended for political expediency. Pacific Minister Pat Conroy declined to comment on the treaty’s details before it is signed, saying negotiations were underway. Mr Wale’s office said talks had covered priorities including education, health, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, skills development, natural resource management and economic growth.
Former Australian High Commissioner Lachlan Strahan said the commitments would be significant if they represented new funding. Australian National University’s James Batley said constituency funding carried real corruption and transparency risks, but those risks could be managed. Griffith Asia Institute associate professor Tess Newton Cain said she was concerned Australia could be seen as trying to “pick winners” by backing Mr Wale.
