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- 2022 meeting between Solomon Islands and Australian Prime Ministers following the Solomon Islands' security pact with China.

- Historical context reveals exploitation of Solomon Islands' land, labor, and resources by powerful outsiders, including Australia.

- Australian consultants earning high salaries in the Solomon Islands raise questions about the impact of aid programs.

- Australian immigration policies create passport inequality and generate frustration among Solomon Islands citizens.

- Pacific Australia Labor Mobility scheme benefits Solomon Islanders but exposes them to mistreatment and wage theft.

- Call for Australia to acknowledge historical exploitation and work toward a more just and equitable relationship.

- Solomon Islanders have contributions to make to Australia, including language skills and cultural diversity.

- Emphasis on the need to move beyond vague words about shared history and learn from Solomon Islanders about building a sustainable society.

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Last week, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Australia's Anthony Albanese met in Canberra for the first time, less than a month after Australia offered to fund Solomon Islands' elections to avoid delay.

Since Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China earlier this year, the country has garnered unprecedented global attention.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare. Picture: Getty Images

In recent diplomatic engagements, international leaders are sensibly downplaying their geostrategic self-interest to speak of common values. A deep, shared and enduring history was highlighted at both last week's Canberra meeting and the Declaration on the US-Pacific Partnership.

Stepping carefully amid conflict in the Pacific

But few have recognised that this shared history is one in which powerful outsiders, including Australia, have exploited Solomon Islands' land, labour, and resources for their own benefit.

Indeed, when US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman described the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942 as a collaborative fight to "ensure a free Solomon Islands, a democracy, an independent country," she omitted the uncomfortable fact that the US military quickly handed the territory back to the British colonial administration that forcefully repressed post-War anti-colonial movements.

On her very first day in office, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong pledged to "build a stronger Pacific family" and "to listen, because we care."

In the spirit of contributing to this dialogue, we share insights from a conversation hosted by the University of Melbourne that focused on how Solomon Islanders see Australia.

Reflections on our shared history must start with the fact that Solomon Islanders see (white) Australia as a colonised and a colonising place.

European settlers in Australian colonies were active as traders and planters in Solomon Islands. Many gave pittances for valuable resources, including land.

View over Honiara and Iron Bottom Sound in Solomon Islands. Picture: Shutterstock

Queensland and New South Wales sugar plantations were built on the sweat, tears, and lives of indentured Pacific labourers until the racist immigration policies of the Australian Federation forced tens of thousands of labourers back to their countries of origin.

The past is never in the past

Colonial policies aimed at extracting the wealth from the Solomons - and investing little in the wellbeing of the people - had devastating structural effects, including the deep inequalities that contributed to the civil conflict of 1998 to 2003.

The policies were also intergenerational tragedies.

One author's family name - Hunhak - remembers an ancestor taken from the island of Malaita to labour in Australia who never returned.

Today, Australia claims to be a friend and family to the Pacific. Australia has been an important aid donor for decades, most evident during the years of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) from 2003 to 2013.

Gratitude for this aid is tempered by scepticism about who it actually helps. Thousands of Australian consultants pass through the country, living in top-quality housing, driving expensive vehicles and earning salaries higher than they would in Australia as an incentive to work in a "difficult" place like Solomon Islands.

Among the unintended side effects of RAMSI was a skyrocketing of real estate prices that made a few property owners rich but made urban life more difficult for ordinary working people.

Australian aid has focused on challenges of governance, infrastructure, policing and policy development. Important though these programs are, the benefits may not be as visible to ordinary people as, for example, the new stadium and hospital wing that have been supported by Chinese aid.

The athletic track and football pitch for the 2023 Pacific Games in Solomon Islands constructed with Chinese aid. Picture: Getty Images

One perceived benefit of increased geostrategic competition is that Australia has become more responsive to Solomon Islands government priorities.

Discussions of shared history must recognise that while the People's Republic of China is a new partner to the Solomon Islands government, Chinese people have engaged with Solomon Islanders since the 1920s.

Australia's shared future with Southeast Asia

Ordinary Islanders arguably engage more with Chinese people who have settled long-term in the country than they do with (mostly white) Australians who stay temporarily.

No Australian policy undermines its claim of being a member of the Pacific family more than immigration policy. An Australian citizen can buy a ticket, arrive in Honiara and get a three-month holiday visa at Customs.

A Solomon Islands citizen cannot so much as transit through Australia without a visa, and the process for getting one is slow, complex and expensive. It's hard to overstate how much anger this passport inequality generates.

Moreover, when Australian governments and industries look to the Pacific neighbourhood - they seek unskilled, temporary, horticultural workers.

Thousands of Solomon Islanders have earned much-needed income through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, but workers have also suffered mistreatment, wage theft and other forms of exploitation.

They feel precarious. When Prime Minister Sogavare blasted Australia's interference earlier this year, they were worried their contracts would be cancelled.

Australians still have much to learn from Solomon Islanders about how to establish a just, equitable and sustainable society. Picture: DFAT

Pacific Islanders have migrated more permanently to regional Australia for decades, but they are often invisible to policymakers and excluded from the benefits of citizenship. Their working-age children find it difficult to move out of the low-paid, insecure work that drew their parents to Australia.

Solomon Islanders have enormous contributions to make to Australia. Who better than someone who has grown up speaking several Indigenous languages - Solomon Islands Pijin and English - to teach in multicultural schools or lead diversity initiatives? What if Australia's Pacific diplomacy was led by Pacific Islander Australians?

Is Australia doing enough to support the Pacific?

The current Australian government seems genuinely committed to building respectful relations with Pacific neighbours. It has recognised that climate change is the most important existential threat to the region and the world.

The Foreign Minister has also flagged a desire to incorporate First Nations Perspectives into international diplomacy.

The government must move beyond vague words about shared history to acknowledge the degree to which their country's wealth was grounded in part on the exploitation of Pacific labour, land and resources - and that outsiders benefitted more than locals from this history.

Even if the flow of aid moves from Australia to Solomon Islands - and not the reverse - Australians still have much to learn from Solomon Islanders about how to establish a just, equitable and sustainable society.

Banner: Alamy

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Dorothy WickhamFounder and Editor of Melanesian News Network and Member of the Media Association of Solomon Islands

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Associate Professor Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

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Dean Wickham Adjunct Research Fellow, Anthropology, Latrobe University; Honorary Consul of Solomon Islands in Victoria

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Hunhak Matt Gale Former Teaching Principal in the Northern Territory; Former President of Solomon Islands, Victoria Association.

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Dr Debra McDougall Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, School of Social and Political Sciences, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne

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Real partnership with Solomon Islands must be based on truth

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Acknowledging Australia's colonial history is essential to build a stronger relationship with Solomon Islands, say University of Melbourne experts

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Solomon Islands Concerned Australia is Turning away from the Pacific to Meet Demand for Agriculture Workers

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Solomon Islands Concerned Australia is Turning away from the Pacific to Meet Demand for Agriculture Workers

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Key Points from the Article:

1. The Solomon Islands' High Commissioner to Australia, Robert Sisilo, expressed concern that Australia's new Agriculture Visa (AAV) could undermine the existing Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, which allows Pacific island nations to send workers to Australia.

2. The AAV is being developed to bring seasonal farm workers from Southeast Asia, with an MOU already signed with Vietnam and discussions with India. This has caused frustration in the Solomon Islands because of the high demand to send workers to Australia.

3. The PALM scheme has been beneficial to the Solomon Islands, with their participation increasing from about 190 workers in 2019 to 3,000 workers in the present year, contributing to the economy through remittances.

5. High Commissioner Sisilo stressed the importance of expanding the labor program with Australia to provide job opportunities to thousands of young people in the Solomon Islands, addressing ongoing unemployment issues.

6. Australia's Agriculture Minister, David Littleproud, defended the AAV, stating that it focuses on bringing skilled and semi-skilled workers and will not necessarily reduce positions for Pacific workers. He emphasized that the choice of hiring Pacific workers for unskilled positions would remain available.

7. The Department of Foreign Affairs clarified that the AAV is intended to supplement the PALM scheme, with the PALM scheme remaining the primary mechanism for addressing agricultural workforce shortages.

8. The Solomon Islands' recent security agreement with China has caused mixed reactions in the country, but High Commissioner Sisilo emphasized that Australia remains their preferred security partner, and he downplayed concerns about the division caused by the China deal.

9. While the debate between Australia and China is normal, it is suggested that it may be influencing Solomon Islands' domestic politics, and the country wishes to maintain good relations with both nations.

10. High Commissioner Sisilo expects that the details of the security pact with China will be made public soon, reaffirming that Australia is their "partner of choice."

11. The article mentions that if the Australian Labor Party wins the election, they have promised to scrap the agriculture visa and introduce a new Pacific Engagement Visa.

In summary, the Solomon Islands' concern about Australia's new Agriculture Visa is that it could undermine their participation in the PALM scheme, which has been economically beneficial for the country. Despite their recent security agreement with China, the Solomon Islands continue to view Australia as their preferred security partner.

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Australia has signed a

and is in discussions with India.

"I wouldn't say that it angered our leaders, but it's just that we are a bit concerned and we did convey that," he said.

The existing

enables Australian regional, rural and agriculture businesses to hire workers from nine Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste for up to four years.

I wouldn't say that it angered our leaders, but it's just that we are a bit concerned and we did convey that.

Robert Sisilo

The High Commissioner was in hotel quarantine last year when riots broke out in Honiara. He watched from his window as whole suburbs were burnt to the ground.

Honiara's Chinatown was razed by fire when riots broke out in November 2021. Source: AP

He blames the protests on young people frustrated at ongoing unemployment, which is why he said the program with Australia is so essential and should be expanded.

"In the Solomon Islands ... thousands are looking for jobs every year, as they finish school, but there are very few jobs around. This is where the Australian Pacific Labour Scheme has been very useful in creating jobs."

'Plenty of work to go around': Agriculture Minister dismisses concerns, says farmers are in need of skilled workers

"That investment in those Pacific workers is happening, upskilling them, but that takes time."

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud. Source: AAP

The Maranoa MP denied the new visa would undermine the number of position open to Pacific workers, but admitted it will be up to farmers and business owners to determine who they hire.

The Department of Foreign Affairs states the new visa

Labor has promised to scrap the agriculture visa if it wins the election. It will also introduce a new Pacific Engagement Visa that will pave the way for 3,000 workers and their families to become Australian Permanent Residents per year.

China deal received mixed reaction in Solomon Islands

"Viewed locally, it is mixed. I have been watching very closely the Facebook commentary and it is a bit mixed," he told SBS News.

A new security deal between China and Solomon Islands has been the subject of heated debate. Source: SBS News

"Mixed debate happens everywhere, and in fact it is good, it's lively, it's healthy for the country. It allows room for good discussion," he said.

"We would rather they worked very closely together. The Pacific Ocean is huge. I am sure there is enough space for both of them."

He could not provide an exact date, but said it was likely days, not weeks, away.

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Solomon Islands concerned Australia is turning away from the Pacific to meet demand for agricultural workers

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In an exclusive television interview with SBS News, Solomon Islands' top diplomat in Australia raised concerns a new agriculture visa could undermine the current agreement with Pacific nations.

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Does China's Security pact with Solomon Islands really matter to Australia's Pacific Islands Voters?

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Does China's Security pact with Solomon Islands really matter to Australia's Pacific Islands Voters?

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-01/pacific-islander-voters-election-solomon-islands-china-pact/101022012

The text discusses the perspectives and concerns of Pacific Islander Australians in the context of China's security pact with Solomon Islands and the upcoming Australian federal election. Here are the key points and data:

1. Perceived Neglect of the Pacific:

- Some Pacific Islander Australians feel that Australia has taken the Pacific for granted and that their voices are not adequately heard on matters of concern in the region.

2. Influence on Voting Decisions:

- Relationships with the Pacific and how they are handled by the Australian government will influence the voting decisions of Pacific Islander Australians in the upcoming federal election.

3. Top Priority: Climate Change:

- Climate change is a top priority for many Pacific communities, as it is seen as a matter of survival due to the threat of rising sea levels and the displacement of people.

4. Disappointment Over the China-Solomon Islands Deal:

- Some Pacific Islander Australians are disappointed with Australian politicians for not doing more to prevent the security deal between China and the Solomon Islands.

5. Call for Stronger Commitment to Climate Action:

- Pacific Islander Australians believe that Australia could repair its relationship with the Pacific by addressing the region's concerns about global warming and making a stronger commitment to climate action.

6. Differences in Political Parties' Approaches:

- Both major political parties (Coalition and Labor) have committed to net zero emissions by 2050, but there are variations in their emissions reduction targets.

7. Concerns About Visa Access:

- Visa access and the long waiting times for visa approvals are a significant concern for some Pacific Islander Australians.

8. Cost of Living:

- The cost of living, especially in large cities, is another issue that Pacific Islander Australians are concerned about.

9. Views on the Solomon Islands Security Deal:

- Opinions on Australia's approach to the Solomon Islands security deal vary, with some supporting the government's stance to counter China's influence and others feeling that more should have been done to prevent the deal.

10. Calls for Improved Migration Pathways:

- Many Pacific Islander Australians would like to see improved migration pathways for Pacific Islanders to Australia.

11. Election Promises and Critiques:

- The Labor party has made promises to strengthen Australia's relationship with the Pacific, increase foreign aid, and welcome Pacific Islanders as permanent residents. However, some see these promises as a "quick fix" and suggest addressing existing issues in programs like the Seasonal Worker Program and the Pacific Labour Scheme first.

12. Deportation Policy Concerns:

- Concerns are raised about the deportation of Pacific Island visa-holders who have received prison sentences, which some see as detrimental to Pacific communities.

13. Need for Engagement:

- Pacific Islander Australians emphasise the need for Australian politicians to engage more effectively with Pacific communities, especially in terms of communication and understanding the concerns of the electorate.

These perspectives reflect the diverse concerns and priorities of Pacific Islander Australians and their expectations from Australian political leaders and the upcoming election.