Australia ready to provide Solomon Islands with more than $980 million
Australia and the Solomon Islands have reached an in-principle agreement on a new bilateral treaty. Canberra is ready to provide the Pacific state with more than $980 million in additional funding, according to a text message from Australian High Commissioner Geoffrey Roach reviewed by ABC News Australia.
Proposed funding
In a message sent to Solomon Islands Deputy Prime Minister Francis Sade, Roach wrote that Australia was ready to allocate an additional $280 million over the next two years and another $700 million after that.
According to him, the funding could include 820 million Solomon Islands dollars, or about $142 million, for Prime Minister Matthew Wale's free education policy. Another 275 million Solomon Islands dollars, or about $47.8 million, could be directed toward improving visa arrangements and the Solomon Islands' security requests.
Australia also plans to increase support for a program under which funds are sent directly to lawmakers for the needs of their constituencies. The message provides for 5 million Solomon Islands dollars for each constituency by the end of the year, another 3 million in 2027, and 500,000 in 2028. Taking into account the country's 50 parliamentary seats, ABC News Australia estimates the total amount of such payments at about $43 million by the end of the year and another roughly $25 million over the following two years.
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Negotiations amid a political crisis
Australia is seeking to sign the treaty in the coming weeks after Wale defeated an attempt to pass a motion of no confidence against him. Last week, Home Affairs Minister Manasseh Maelanga introduced the motion, accusing the head of government of making important decisions without consulting the cabinet. Maelanga later withdrew it.
Roach expressed hope that the two countries could finalize the agreement before the November budget session. Opposition leader Manasseh Sogavare has previously repeatedly accused Australia of interfering in the Solomon Islands' internal affairs.
Sade told ABC News Australia that the message from the Australian mission was not political in nature, but rather an update on the negotiations. Australia's Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy did not name a signing date, stressing that negotiations were ongoing and that details would not be commented on until the treaty was concluded.
