HON. PM BAINIMARAMA'S REMARKS AT WELCOME DINNER FOR AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON

17/01/2019


The Right Honourable Prime Minister of Australia,
Honourable Cabinet Ministers,
Your Excellencies, members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
Bula Vinaka and a very good evening to you all.
 
Tonight, we celebrate the friendship between our people –– a friendship that has never been stronger –– and a partnership between governments that has never been more equal. That parity has never been clearer than it is here in Suva tonight, as your being here, Prime Minister, marks the first bilateral visit from an Australian Prime Minister to Fiji.
 
I know I’m not the only one who is surprised it has taken this long to welcome an Australian leader for a visit of this nature. We are neighbours, after all. Tens of thousands of our people have settled in Australia, and hundreds of thousands of Aussies visit us in Fiji every year. The over one-billion dollars in annual two-way trade between our countries supports thousands of jobs in our countries, and the Fijian and Australian people share an affinity for each other that has only gained in strength over the years. And today, luckily, the only rivalry between us is reserved for the rugby field. 
 
When our nation and our people have been left devastated in the aftermath of ever-worsening cyclones, Australia has always proven to be a friend we can count on. And neither I, nor the thousands of Fijians who have been assisted by Australian support in the wake of disasters, will ever forget the full measure of your friendship in those trying times. That gratitude is shared by the many Fijians studying on scholarship in Australia or learning in Australian funded schools here in Fiji, those Fijians employed in Australian businesses, or those starring in rugby, and other sports, in Australian clubs. So, I hope that this “step up”, as it’s been called, proves to be the greatest of many steps that have already been taken in the long – often rocky – path that has led us to this evening.
 
Our partnership today is strong and it is deepening, as are the rest of Fiji’s connections to the world. We are currently in the midst of massive diplomatic expansion, and for good reason. The rest of the world is watching what’s happening in our country; they see our soaring economy, our newfound political stability and our inclusive society – following the removal of past discriminatory practices. They see our educated workforce, and our investor-friendly policies, and they see their role in the Fijian success story. 
 
In the past four years, we’ve welcomed leaders from around the world here to Suva, including the heads of government from China, India and New Zealand. So, it is high time we’ve played host to Australian leadership, and, Prime Minister, you deserve credit for taking a step forward in our bilateral relationship –– a step that your predecessors hesitated to take themselves. And while it was only a short flight to Suva, your presence here has already taken our relationship a very long way indeed.
 
Your new engagement with the Pacific is absolutely a step in the right direction. And, as Prime Minister, your presence here sends a clear message that you take our partnership extremely seriously. You’re setting a new precedent and a new expectation for this relationship by adding your own personal touch, and the leadership you’ve shown will hold benefits for Fijians and Australians for years to come. 
 
As we welcome you tonight, I do so knowing you are no stranger to our country or to our people, as you and your family have many special memories from the holidays you’ve spent with us in Fiji. But even though you may find yourself back wearing Bula this evening, your visit is for a very different purpose; you are here to strengthen a friendship that benefits Fijians and Australians alike, and I am ready to work with you in that regard. Your most recent announcement that you plan to ease the restrictions for the import of kava into Australia is a great start, and has already made you a very popular man among our Yaqona farmers, as well as with our diaspora community across Australia, and this may even mean new votes for you in your upcoming election. 
 
Our countries are taking great steps forward, but it wasn’t always that way. I’m speaking, of course, of Australia’s serious “step back” from Fiji in the immediate years following 2006. However, it is only through acknowledging those rocky times in our shared history, that we give ourselves, and the many young Aussies and Fijians today who didn’t live through it, a full appreciation for our newfound progress.
 
Prior to 2006, the reality of what was happening in our country was grim. The government of that time in Fiji had no interest in addressing the systemic corruption that had plagued our nation for decades. Our institutions were weak, under constant siege from leaders who held no respect for their independence. And any attempt to build up our nation was undermined at every turn by sectional interests, backed by a societal elite who pitted Fijians against one another on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and province, all to keep themselves wealthy and powerful. In those years, certain Fijians enjoyed rights that others did not. They had access to education and jobs that were denied to others, and their votes carried greater weight. Many of our citizens were unable to call themselves true Fijians in their own rightful home, and tens of thousands of our people – many of our best and brightest – fled our country, after losing hope in a truly inclusive and equal future.
 
Australia is a proud democracy. The Australian people enjoy a political system where their rights are respected, their votes matter equally, and their faith is well-placed in strong and enduring institutions. Now, would any Australian ever accept that their vote – or the vote of one of their mates – mattered less than another’s? Or that they were, somehow, less Australian than any of their fellow citizens? I’ve spent enough time in Queensland to know for a fact they never would.
 
Well, Fijians weren’t prepared to accept that either. That is why I enjoyed such massive public support as my Government laid the careful groundwork for a new, true and genuine democracy. That effort gave birth to the 2013 Fijian Constitution, which finally established a common national identity, declaring all of our citizens as “Fijians”, with equal rights under the law. Under that same constitution, we’ve successfully held two genuine parliamentary elections, and I stand before you as the now twice-democratically elected Prime Minister of Fiji in elections determined by the international community to be free, fair and fully legitimate. 
 
Through the entire tenure of my leadership, Fiji’s progress is undeniable. Our economy has charted a record streak of uninterrupted growth ¬¬–– nine years to be exact. Corruption no longer runs rampant and unchecked. Poverty is decreasing, inequity is shrinking, the institutions of our democracy are becoming stronger and more capable, and they are, most importantly, asserting their independence fiercely. 
 
Fiji stands today as an outright success, despite how the winds may blow in Canberra, Wellington, Beijing or Washington. We are a people responsible for our own future who are forging our own destiny, and we’re doing a damn good job of it.
 
But neither of our countries can achieve our most secure and prosperous future without each other. Australia’s presence is needed in the Pacific. That is why no one is happier than I am that our countries have left our disputes in the past, where they belong and must remain. And, Prime Minister, you are here in Suva on the back of unprecedented engagement between our countries, our peoples and our economies. Your new ‘step up’ has been imbued with an energy and enthusiasm by your High Commissioner in Fiji, John Feakes, who has achieved so much in a short time with us. 
 
We’re in a new era of bilateral relations. But to truly begin this chapter anew, the Australian government and the Australian people need to look at Fiji and the rest of the Pacific through a new lens, and that starts from the very top. It must begin with the acknowledgement that – as sovereign nations – we stand as equals. And your presence here, Prime Minister, provides that much-needed recognition. 
 
You know, as well as I know, that the Fiji of today is strong, we are stable, and we are paving the way for a future that can no longer be ignored. There is a new Fijian story unfolding, and I believe it is a story still very much worth telling. We are a model of success among small island nations. We – your neighbour in the Pacific – are open for business, we are an economic leader in this region, and we are a leader on the global stage when it comes to some of the most pressing and urgent challenges of our time. 
 
We have just recently wrapped up our landmark Presidency of the United Nations climate negotiations, handing the reins over to the Polish Government at COP24 in December. But on the issue of climate change, Fiji will remain a champion, and I hope that Australia and the Australian people join us on the frontlines of the global campaign for climate action. Because as we talk about the many steps of our relationship, including this ‘step up’, we must not forget that the steps we take leave footprints behind us –– and the impact of our actions today must be mindful of the legacy, and the consequences, that mark this path. 
 
Here in Fiji, climate change is no laughing matter; the threat faced by Fijians, and all Pacific Islanders, is enormous, and with each passing day that danger becomes more serious. Our countries are being rocked by more frequent and more severe cyclones and deadlier flooding, with every storm carrying the disastrous potential to bring our entire economy to its knees. The rising seas threaten whole communities, forcing them to endure the trauma of relocating from land they’ve called home for generations. And Fijian farmers are watching their crops perish in soil that has been spoiled by the heightened salinity levels associated with sea level rise.
 
Prime Minister, I urged your predecessor repeatedly to honour his commitment to a clean energy future; the only future that guarantees the survival of your neighbours in the Pacific. From where we are sitting, we cannot imagine how the interests of any single industry can be placed above the welfare of Pacific peoples and vulnerable people the world over. Because the effects of climate change are a threat to everyone, everywhere –– from the disappearing coastlines of Bangladesh, to the scorching heat drying out land across sub-Saharan Africa, to the worsening flooding in low-lying cities in the United States, and in Australia as well, where soaring temperatures have hit record highs in several of your cities just this week. 
 
This cannot be written off as a difference of opinion. The consensus from the scientific community is clear and the existential threat posed to Pacific Island countries is a certainty. And Fiji is proud that much of the world has embraced one of the key legacies of our COP Presidency - the Talanoa Dialogue - our Pacific concept of inclusive, blame-free engagement to help determine how we can all do more to meet the climate threat. And we look to every nation, Australia included, to raise ambition in the climate struggle. 
 
Prime Minister, if history has shown us anything, it is that our nations are always better served when we act as good neighbours – and as of our newest partnership, we’re now more than just neighbours; we’re family. As members of the same family, we must be honest with each other, we must stay at the table, even when we may disagree, and we must each do our part to maintain a safe and happy home for all of us in the Pacific. That is what our citizens deserve, and what we must strive to achieve throughout all of our engagement. 
 
On many issues, we see eye to eye. And your continued support towards our agenda for Fijian progress will lead to a more stable, secure and successful Pacific for all people. Not a neighbourhood where any nation’s success is determined by the availability of aid, but where every country is treated with dignity, every economy can stand on its own two feet and every relationship is defined by mutual confidence, trust and respect.
 
Prime Minister, you know personally that Fiji is a special place, and the Fijian people shine with a spirit of warmth, hospitality and friendliness you won’t find anywhere else in the world. I trust you and Jenny have enjoyed your time back with us so far. As for the governments we lead, from here on out, let every step we take be a step forward –– and let every one of those steps be taken together. 
 
Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.