Federal election 2022: Scott Morrison slammed by Anthony Albanese over Solomon Islands security pact

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he doesn’t regret sending a junior minister to the Solomon Islands to try and stop China from signing a security deal with the Pacific Island nation.

Mr Morrison today defended not sending Foreign Minister Marise Payne to stymie the deal — and sending Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja instead.

It comes despite strong criticism from Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, who accused the Government of overseeing the “worst Pacific foreign policy failure” since WWII.

The PM said it was a “very serious” issue but that the deal came as no surprise to the Australian Government.

“Over the course of these last three years I’ve spent an enormous amount of time working with all the Pacific leaders stepping up in our Pacific step up because the real risk, I think, is being exposed.”

“The risk of China seeking to interfere within our region I have known about and have been taking strong action. I mean, I was the one who stood up and called out China on the pandemic. I was the one who called out their interference.”

Mr Morrison said Pacific nations did not want to have Australia “stomp around” and tell them what to do which is why Senator Payne held a fundraiser in Sydney rather than being in the Solomon Islands.

“We treat our Pacific family as siblings and family and our view is very much that you don’t go around stopping around telling leaders in Pacific islands what they should and shouldn’t do. You work with them respectfully and carefully,” he said.

The PM said other Pacific nations were being pressured by China — particularly Papua New Guinea.

“There is a lot of pressure being placed on other Pacific countries around our region. And what they need to understand is that I am going to work with them,” he said.

“I’m not going to act like former administrations that treated the Pacific like some extension of Australia, the Pacific is very sensitive to that. And I’ve always had an approach of the Pacific Islands, which understands those sensitivities because there is a lot at stake.”

Anthony Albanese said if he is elected Prime Minister he will make a personal visit to the Solomon Islands.

“This is a massive foreign policy failure on the prime minister’s watch. One which they were warned about, even in the weeks leading up to the Government finally sending Zed Seselja a junior person, to the Solomons,” Mr Albanese said at a press conference in Brisbane.

“This isn’t something that has just arisen. This is something that has been in the planning for a period of time. And quite clearly I think relationships have broken down.”

“The United States ... historically has relied upon Australia to be a key player in the Pacific as well. Australia has been the security partner of choice for the Pacific for a long period of time, for the entire post-world war two period. That’s broken down, we need to rebuild it.”

Senator Marise Payne also rejected Labor’s accusations that the Morrison Government was to blame for the country’s deal with China.

“I think that’s an unfair characterisation, and I don’t think it recognises the sovereign decisions that Governments, of course, make for themselves,” she said.

“We are looking at very serious geo-strategic challenges in our region, and they are realities.”

However, former foreign minister Julie Bishop said she would be concerned if Australia’s foreign minister didn’t “get on the next plane to Solomon Islands”.

“It is deeply disturbing because it’s the great power competition between the United States and China playing out in a region,” Ms Bishop said.

“The Solomon Islands is really close to Australia. We are their largest donor of foreign aid. The relationship between our two governments has always been very close,”

“Solomon Islands has been a great friend of the United States and now it appears that it has turned its attention elsewhere and has signed a security pact with China.

“While we don’t have all the details, this could well mean there would be Chinese military bases on Solomon Islands and that really changes the dynamic and environment in our area in our region.

“I’d be greatly concerned and I believe that our foreign minister should be on the next plane to Solomon Islands to talk with the government to see what’s actually being agreed and how that impacts on the security in the region more broadly and also on Australia’s security interests.”

Scott Morrison made the Solomon Islands the first overseas country he visited after he won the 2019 election.

It was the first time a Prime Minister had visited the nation in more than a decade.