Solomon Islands Aid

Question 1

Aid provided

Answer 1

-Australia provided delivery of 200,000 paediatric COVID-19 vaccine doses in addition to more than 510,000 adult COVID-19 vaccine doses
-Funding of $46 million to support ongoing Australian police deployments in Solomon Islands
-Australia received an expansion of Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) workers of over 11,000 workers by December 2022

Question 2

Different Interpretations of Aid - Penny Wong 2022

Answer 2

“We’ve previously offered support and we re offering support again.”
For political finances: “This is because Australia has always and historically supported democracy in Solomon Islands”

Question 3

Interpretations of Aid - 2022 - Solomon Islands Government (office of the Prime minister)

Answer 3

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare assured Wong that
-“No military base will be established in the country” and that “Australia remains the partner of choice in matters of security and development”

Question 4

Factors contributing to action

Answer 4

-In 2022 China and the Solomon Islands announced that they jointly signed a new bilateral security cooperation agreement, which gives China the option (with Solomon Islands’ consent) to establish a military base in the state
-This has the potential to threaten Australia’s status as the “partner of choice for Solomon Islands in matters of security and development

Question 5

Further Action

Answer 5

-Australia offered to fund national elections in Solomon Islands in response to Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s proposal to defer democratic elections
-2022 - Solomon Islands Government - “This is an assault on our parliamentary democracy and is a direct inference by a foreign government into our domestic affairs”

Question 6

Relevant FPI, power

Answer 6

-Political power
-Aid FPI

Question 7

Relevant National Interest

Answer 7

-This links to regional relationships, with both a positive and a negative effect on Australia’s ties with the solomon islands