How ScoMo is countering Chinese influence in the Pacific
Scott Morrison is pushing forward with an ambitious program to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific, writes David Speers.
Anthony Albanese is on the cusp of unveiling who’s taking which job in his new shadow ministry, ending a week of frontbench snakes and ladders for both sides of politics.
Scott Morrison played the game well, promoting Ken Wyatt as the first indigenous Australian to Cabinet in a widely celebrated move, while finding plum diplomatic parachutes for Mitch Fifield and Arthur Sinodinos.
By contrast, Albanese oversaw a messier, faction-ridden struggle, but ultimately achieved the outcome he wanted.
Now it’s time for both leaders to get on with their respective tasks and for reality to set in.
For Albanese, that reality is three long years of opposition and the slow task of reworking difficult policies and rebuilding Labor’s stocks.
Over the next few days, he’ll begin a “listening tour” with visits to regional Tasmania and Queensland. He’ll hold a shadow ministry meeting in Brisbane and watch State of Origin Game One there on Wednesday night.
MORE OPINION:
Politicians should safeguard freedom of religion
Should lockout laws be eradicated in Sydney?
Keep the monsters locked up to keep our kids safe
While the staunch Blues supporter is not about to throw on a Maroons scarf, “Albo”, like “ScoMo”, wants to show off his genuine love of rugby league to Queenslanders who live and breathe it.
For Scott Morrison, the reality of being returned as prime minister means getting back to the challenges confronting Australia at home and abroad.
He’ll head to the Solomon Islands tomorrow and not for a tropical post-campaign holiday.
“It’s hugely significant the Prime Minister is making his first post-election trip to the Pacific”, says Professor Michael Wesley, Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University.
Pacific nations often feel ignored by Australian prime ministers, but in the space of nine months, Morrison will have visited Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
“I can’t think of a past prime minister who’s done that — it’s a huge tick”, says Wesley.
Morrison’s attention to the Pacific is no accident. China’s economic, strategic and military ambitions in the region are one of the great challenges confronting Australia right now.
The Solomon Islands is one of six small Pacific states that diplomatically recognises Taiwan rather than China. Beijing is determined to change that and is investing heavily in infrastructure and technology across the Pacific to build its influence.
Australia recognised China back in 1972 and Morrison isn’t about to tell any sovereign state who they should have diplomatic ties with.
But Australia is quite happy with the status quo in the region and has no interest in seeing China gain a stronger foothold.
As part of his “Pacific Step-Up” announced last year, the Prime Minister has made it clear he wants Australia to remain the big player in the region; the trusted friend.
The Morrison government created a $2 billion fund last year to help finance infrastructure projects in the Pacific. He’ll announce the first of these loans during this visit to the Solomon Islands, as well as a new defence commitment.
This week Morrison appointed one of his closest allies, Alex Hawke, as Minister for International Development and the Pacific. Hawke is also the assistant Defence Minister. Marrying Pacific Aid and Defence is a deliberate move to show the region Australia wants to look after its development and security.
Morrison also brings something more than a chequebook to the Pacific. According to Prof Wesley, the Prime Minister’s Pentecostal faith is a “strong calling card”.
As with many Pacific Islanders, the Solomons’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is deeply religious. Scott Morrison’s devout faith isn’t part of any official diplomatic brief, but it certainly doesn’t hurt in building a rapport in the Pacific.
Nor will it hurt Australia’s standing that Richard Marles has just become the deputy Opposition leader. Marles has a deeper understanding and passion for the Pacific than anyone in the current parliament. He strongly supports Australia playing a bigger role in the region.
The extra aid, investment and attention can’t solve everything in the Pacific though, as this week’s political upheaval in PNG has shown. The country’s democracy has again been strained as its leader lost support and tried unsuccessfully to cling to office.
Morrison was quick to contact the new Prime Minister James Marape and congratulate him on his elevation to the top job on Thursday. Australia worked hard last year to secure an agreement with PNG for a joint naval base at Manus Island, a base China had been eyeing off. It does not want the political upheaval in PNG to jeopardise that deal.
From the Solomon Islands, Scott Morrison will head to London later in the week and catch up with world leaders attending commemorations in Portsmouth to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
So, while Morrison rubs shoulders with heads of state and crafts regional diplomacy, Albanese will be listening to voters in Launceston about why they abandoned Labor.
The reality of the election result is here.
Misinformation law is 21st century blasphemy in disguise
New federal government laws designed to punish people who spread lies on social media will only result in the curbing of free speech and the protecting of bad governments from scrutiny, writes Matt Canavan.
Penbo: Hinkley ‘incident’ exposes Australia as a snowflake nation
Australians like to think of themselves as a tough bunch with a sense of humour, writes David Penberthy. But that’s not reality.