Stephanie Borys, Presenter: Let's bring in Senator Nita Green, the Assistant Minister for Pacific Island Affairs. Thank you for your time. Now, how would you describe China's testing of this long range missile in the Pacific?
Senator Nita Green, Assistant Minister for Pacific Island Affairs: Well, I think what you would have seen from the Prime Minister today, and from other ministers, is some concern from Australia, and we've made those concerns clear to Beijing and in Canberra, because, you know, we think that this test was destabilising, and it undermines the peace and security in our region, which we've been seeking to strengthen over the past couple of days. We know that this is in the backdrop of a military buildup by China, and we've made some very clear comments about the way that Beijing went about this test. The lack of transparency, and our concerns have been raised, and I think you've seen them shared by other leaders today.
Borys: Now, in terms of raising those concerns, the opposition says that they should be raised at a ministerial level, whether it be Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, the Prime Minister himself. Do you think that should be carried out as well, or is there a plan to do that?
Green: Oh, well, there is, and as you would imagine, Steph, I mean, in the initial hours since this test took place, those representations have been made at a diplomatic level, as appropriate. But, of course, the Foreign Minister has said that she will raise these concerns directly with her counterparts. Those engagements are happening more frequently under our government, but every time that our foreign minister does make those engagements, she has taken the opportunity to express to China the things that we disagree on. We, you know, we certainly have said many times, we seek to agree, disagree where we must. And those are the things that the Foreign Minister will raise, including our deep concerns about this missile test.
Borys: Yeah, well, I appreciate you're not the Foreign Minister. Can you give us a timeline? Would that happen this week, for example, is that the expectation?
Green: No, I can't give you a timeline around that, but obviously we regularly engage with counterparts around the region, not just about things that we disagree about, but of course you've seen so much engagement required over the last couple of months, as we're facing the fuel security issues around the region. So the Foreign Minister will take up that opportunity when it avails itself. And I can't speak to the timing, but I can assure you, and your viewers, that we will make our concerns known, and we have already, through diplomatic channels in Beijing and Canberra, very quickly after the test was known about, we've made those concerns very clear. And we've expressed that today in multiple ways, including the Prime Minister himself when he spoke in the Solomon Islands.
Borys: Yeah, there's no doubt that that message has been heard loud and clear. Do you think the testing, though, underscores the need for deal making in the Pacific that we've seen this week?
Green: Well, I think what it shows is that while there are other partners out there seeking to destabilise the region, Australia is seeking to unify the region. And we know that when the Pacific is strong, then Australia is strong. And you've seen over the past two days, the work that the Prime Minister has done. It's been, of course, a lot of work leading up to the signing of the Alliance of Fiji and the negotiations which have commenced with the Solomon Islands today. And the warmth that he has been received with in those two countries over the past two days, is really a stark contrast to the way that other partners seek to engage with the Pacific. We always make sure that our engagements are Pacific led, and Pacific priorities are the priorities of Australia. We have engaged in that way over the past two days, and I think you've seen the benefits for our country, but also for our region.
Borys: Now, in terms of deals that have been signed recently, with a defence deal with PNG, a part of that agreement is that people from PNG can join the Australian Defence Force. We haven't seen, as far as I'm aware, that same element in the Fiji defence deal. Why is that the case?
Green: Oh, well, look, these agreements are led by Pacific parties, as I said, and we seek to make sure that these agreements reflect the priorities of different partners. There was a request from PNG to include that element in the Pukpuk Treaty, and we've seen different priorities expressed by Fiji. I'm sure we'll see different priorities expressed by the Solomon Islands as we seek to negotiate an agreement with them. And that's how we go about our negotiations in the Pacific. We don't seek to dictate to different countries, what they want and how they want to engage with Australia. What we do seek to do is ensure that Australia's national interest is at the heart of these negotiations. And I think that we've managed to do that through both of these negotiations, and to have two alliances in the Pacific is significant. That's a big step forward from where we were four years ago when we came to government.
Borys: And you were just looking there, of course, about the fact the Prime Minister is in the Solomon Islands. He was earlier today. He was saying, though, that he wants to fast track the negotiation of a treaty there. Why does it need to be done fast?
Green: Well, we want to fast track the negotiations because we believe in the importance of our relationship with the Solomon Islands. They are a close neighbour, geographically, but also so tied to the history of Australia. And today, the Prime Minister spoke at the Independence Day celebrations at Solomon Islands, the first foreign leader ever to do that. And it shows our respect and our mutual respect for that country, for the government, for its people. And having an agreement in place would be a good thing, not just for our country, but for Solomon Islands as well. So we can progress the way that we work together in partnership to make sure that we are working for a prosperous, and stable Pacific.
Borys: If I can turn your attention to one of your other roles, being the assistant tourism minister, news in recent days, is that the Draft UNESCO decision has been not to list the Great Barrier Reef as an endangered site. What do the government have to present or show to ensure that that decision was made?
Green: Well, thanks for the question. I live in Cairns, and the Reed is so important to our community, and this was a decision that the Australian Government welcomed. It's been off the back of a lot of hard work and investment by our government since we came to government to really restore the protection and management of the Reef and restore Australia's reputation internationally as well. This decision that was released a few days ago is off the back of a full state of conservation report. So it's a scientific and technical report that we provided to UNESCO in relation to how we're protecting the Reef. What we're doing to build its resilience to climate change. And what are some of the measures that we're implementing to improve water quality that runs up into the Reef as well. I'm pleased by the decision. Of course, it's just a draft decision, but I know that the reputation of the Reef matters, not just to tourism, but to the Australian people as well…
Borys: I’m sorry Senator, we will have to leave you there because we are running out of time. The Reef is a beautiful place indeed.