Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made a significant visit to the 8th/9th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (8/9 RAR) at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane yesterday.

This visit holds special importance as it involves 42 Republic of Fiji Military Forces personnel currently undergoing military courses at Gallipoli Barracks.

Rabuka also made it clear about Fiji’s dedication to engaging with its traditional partners in policing matters.

He also indicated that the fate of Fiji’s policing agreement with China, currently suspended, should become clear before the next financial year.

Rabuka’s stance aligns with his earlier preference for policing partners, which leans towards Australia and New Zealand.

“When I came in there was a closer cooperation between China and Fiji in the policing side, I came in and brought Fiji back to reality.The reality is the difference in the systems of justice and policing so we sort of tone that down, at the moment we do not have that cooperation.”

Rabuka expressed his preference for dealing with familiar allies over unknown ones.

Meanwhile, Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, highlighted the growing collaboration in the Pacific’s security domain.

“The Pacific Islands Forum have resolved that if there are security needs in the Pacific, they should be met by the Pacific by the Pacific family and there is no greater example of that right now then in the Solomon Islands where we have the Solomon Islands System where they have Fijian, PNG, Australian and New Zealand personnel all working working to lift the security and safety of the people of the Solomon Islands.”

Conroy suggested that this cooperative model represents the future of security efforts in the Pacific.

During the visit, the Prime Minister and his delegation also participated in an operational demonstration within a field training area, experiencing firsthand the capabilities of Bushmasters.

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