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🇦🇺 Australia /Economy & Trade

Leaked message reveals Australia’s $980 million commitment to Solomon Islands

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Australia and Solomon Islands have reached an in-principle agreement on a new treaty that could bring more than $980 million in additional Australian funding.
  • The proposed funding includes support for free education, visa improvements, security requests and constituency development projects.
  • The leaked message emerged as Prime Minister Matthew Wale faced and survived a leadership challenge, raising concerns in Australia that a change of government could threaten the treaty.

Australia has promised more than $980 million in additional funding to Solomon Islands as it moves urgently to secure a landmark treaty with the Pacific nation, according to a leaked message verified by ABC News.

The message, sent by Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Jeffrey Roach, to Deputy Prime Minister Francis Sade last week, sets out a proposed contribution of $280 million over the next two years and a further $700 million after that. Roach wrote that negotiations had made “terrific progress” and urged both countries to maintain momentum before the November budget session.

The proposed package includes SI$820 million, or about $142 million, for Prime Minister Matthew Wale’s signature free education policy. It also includes SI$275 million, worth about $47.8 million, for visa improvements and Solomon Islands’ security requests.

terrific progress

· Jeffrey RoachAustralia’s High Commissioner described the progress of treaty negotiations in a leaked message.

Australia also appears ready to expand a controversial scheme that sends money directly to members of parliament for constituency spending. The message says Australia would provide SI$5 million, or about $870,000, to each constituency for MPs’ development priorities before the end of this year. It would provide another SI$3 million per constituency in 2027 and a further $500,000 per constituency in 2028. With 50 seats in parliament, the proposed payments would total about $43 million this year and another $25 million over the following two years.

The message was circulated as Wale fought to remain in office. He returned to Solomon Islands after Home Affairs Minister Manasseh Maelanga launched a no-confidence motion, accusing him of making major decisions without consulting cabinet. Wale survived the challenge on Monday.

Roach did not directly endorse Wale, but his message reflected Australian concerns that the treaty could collapse if Wale were replaced by Maelanga or another leader more sceptical of Australia, such as former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare. “I very much hope both countries can hold steady to seize this opportunity and lock this in ahead of the November budget session,” Roach wrote. The message could itself intensify political tensions in Solomon Islands.

I very much hope both countries can hold steady to seize this opportunity and lock this in ahead of the November budget session

· Jeffrey RoachRoach urged both governments to maintain the treaty effort before Solomon Islands’ November budget session.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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