Interview with Patricia Karvelas, ABC Radio National

Patricia Karvelas: Pacific leaders have given the green light to a major new policing initiative that's been championed by Australia as a way of improving the region's law enforcement capacity. But the biggest issue on the table of this week's Pacific Island Forum is climate change, something the 18 member states of the forum have been discussing at length over the past few days. Pat Conroy is the Minister for International Development and the Pacific. He's in Tonga's capital. Welcome.

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy: Morning, PK.

Patricia Karvelas: The regional policing initiative that has been promoted by Australia was well received. Explain the detail of what we'll do.

Minister Conroy: Well, this is a Pacific-led initiative that we are backing, but this has come out of views and designs by Pacific leaders and Pacific police forces that we've been honoured to back. It has three elements. One is four regional police training Centres of Excellence located throughout the Pacific, with the first one being in Port Moresby. The second is a Pacific Police Support Group which is a multi-country police capability force that can rapidly deploy to Pacific countries to help with major events or natural disasters. And the third is a Policing Development Coordination Hub to be run in Brisbane at the Pinkenba Centre. And this has been driven by Pacific leaders and Australia's backed it. And we indicated yesterday that we'd be committing $400 million to help drive an initiative that has come out of the Pacific, is consistent with the Pacific Leaders Communique which said if there are any gaps in security in the Pacific, countries should look to the Pacific to fill them first. So, it's a really good policy announcement by the Pacific leaders and Australia was delighted to support it.

Patricia Karvelas: The hot mic moment, I must ask you about where the Prime Minister joked about with the US about going halvies. What was that about?

Minister Conroy: Well, I reject your characterisation of that, PK.

Patricia Karvelas: What did I get wrong?

Minister Conroy: Well, a journalist recorded a private conversation, but Prime Minister Albanese was catching up with an old friend and he was expressing his delight that Pacific leaders had decided to endorse the Pacific Policing Initiative. It was a great day yesterday for the Pacific and the Prime Minister was celebrating that good news and delighting in the fact that the Pacific security will be enhanced by this initiative as a good day for Pacific security. And that's a good thing.

Patricia Karvelas: Okay. Obviously, he was making a joke. You're saying that this was recorded without authorisation?

Minister Conroy: Well, I can say it was a private conversation where a journalist did not identify themselves and chose to record it. But let's focus on the issue at hand, which is that this is a great announcement for the Pacific, that's come out of the Pacific Leaders Forum to endorse this proposal that contributes to the collective security of the Pacific and making sure that if there are gaps in the Pacific security, they're filled by other Pacific nations. That's a great thing for the Pacific and it contributes to the safety and security of the entire region, including Australia. I think that's a good thing to celebrate.

Patricia Karvelas: Yeah. The halvies though. We're spending, we are funding this, right?

Minister Conroy: We're making a contribution, but other countries in the region are expected to make a contribution as well.

Patricia Karvelas: Can you explain the carve out of it?

Minister Conroy: That in terms of what other countries are doing? Well, the PIF leaders have tasked the Pacific police commissioners to develop the detailed implementation of it. So, we've indicated that we will invest $400 million over five years and that will include the infrastructure costs associated with the centres of excellence in the region. But other countries will make contributions by virtue of being part of the Pacific Police Support Group. And this is really good. And this has come out of statements and ideas from the Pacific. For example, at last year's PIF, Deputy Prime Minister Rosso of PNG said that PNG wanted to be a regional training centre for the Pacific. Prime Minister Rabuka Fiji was articulating his Oceans of Peace concept, which is the PPI is under that. So, this has come out of the Pacific and each country will make a contribution based on what they think is important to them. We think Australia is backing it by a $400 million investment, which is important and contributes to the security of the Pacific, including Australia's security.

Patricia Karvelas: China is not a member of the Pacific Islands Forum but how present have they been at the Forum, given Beijing has strong diplomatic and economic ties with countries like the Solomon Islands, for example? And how much has this initiative been really about China?

Minister Conroy: Well, on your first question, they are a dialogue partner of the PIF, as are the United States and a tonne of other countries. I think - I met Ministers from all around the world, around the PIF, including places like Norway and Ghana, over the conference. So, they all participated in the Partners' Dialogue yesterday afternoon. And as the Prime Minister said yesterday, this is not about any country outside the region. This is about the Pacific looking after its own security. We're a proud member of the Pacific family, and just as Papua New Guinean troops helped us in our Black Summer Bushfires in 2019-20, just as Fiji has assisted us, we assist other countries. And if you just look at the recent Solomon Islands election, where additional security was provided by Papua New Guinean police, Fijian military, New Zealand military and Australian Federal Police and Australian Defence Force, this is about the Pacific looking after our security. It's not about anyone outside the region. And this announcement yesterday makes the region safer, more secure and more stable, and that's in our direct interests.

Patricia Karvelas: Minister. At the start of the forum, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, warned that melting ice due to global warming is threatening the existence of the Pacific itself. Talk to me about the sense of anxiety among the forum participants, the delegates, and what they're telling you. I mean, that was really meant to be a strong focus. What can we expect out of the forum on that issue?

Minister Conroy: Well, climate change is always a really important topic of discussion in the PIF. Climate change is the number one security issue for the Pacific region. And so there was strong discussion at the plenary session on it, and that will continue to be the case. People were receptive to Australia setting out and talking through our policies, whether it's our 43 per cent Emissions Reduction Target by 2030, our legislative Net Zero by 2050, our work towards 82 per cent renewable energy in our domestic economy, or the fact that we've made the largest investment in the Pacific resilience facility, which is about adaptation projects in the Pacific. So, people are really concerned about climate, as they should be. I'm making an announcement today about support for making climate resilient communities in Tonga. So, there's a real focus on it. And Australia is playing a really strong role, both domestically and internationally. A key part of the Falepili Treaty with Tuvalu that we celebrated coming to force yesterday, was that for the first time in the world, a country Australia has legally recognised the borders and the exclusive economic zone of another country, even if it loses islands due to climate change, in this case being Tuvalu. So, we were part of world leading climate initiatives that we celebrated coming to force yesterday.

Patricia Karvelas: Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Pat Conroy.

Minister Conroy: Thanks, PK. Have a good morning.

Patricia Karvelas: You too. Minister for International Development in the Pacific, Pat Conroy there. You are listening to ABC Radio National Breakfast.