The Solomon Islands have agreed to a security pact with China. Australia’s cavalier attitude to the concerns of its ‘’Pacific Family’’ on the issue of climate dangers can’t be ruled out as a factor.
If the Morrison government is put to the sword on May 21, history will judge its failures of leadership on a long scroll of issues, beginning with climate. Now we have what Labor’s Penny Wong calls Australia’s biggest foreign policy failure in the Pacific since WWII.
On Tuesday night China announced that the Solomon Islands had agreed to a security deal. Full details have not even been made public to the Solomons opposition, but alarm bells are ringing. In the worst case, a Chinese military base could be established 2000 kilometres from Cairns.
The scramble to Honiara by Morrison government junior minister Zed Seselja, who no doubt reminded officials of Australia’s peace-keeping missions in the not always pacific nation, was to no avail. Ditto some no-doubt friendly counsel against the proposal by US State Department officials.
Maybe a bit more listening to Pacific leaders on the issue of rising sea levels would have got Canberra and Washington a better reception.
Mark Sawyer is a journalist with extensive experience in print and digital media in Sydney, Melbourne and rural Australia.