Fiji acknowledges China’s advance notice of military activity
FIJI has acknowledged advance notification from China before a missile was fired into the Pacific region on Monday.
Australia
Australia launches new Pacific skills programme as APTC ends
AUSTRALIA will spend $FJD359.8 million on skills development in Fiji and Timor-Leste over 2025-2029, as Canberra moves to deepen its regional training footprint through a new programme focused on jobs, industry needs
Albanese says Fiji deal fully budgeted, not aimed at China
AUSTRALIA and Fiji have rejected suggestions their new security and development agreement was designed to shut out China.
Fiji-Australia redraws the Pacific security map with new defence alliance
FIJI and Australia have deepened their strategic partnership, with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka saying Canberra has committed more than $FJD280 million in new investments since October 2023.
Albanese arrives in Fiji to reinforce Australia’s Pacific pivot
AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Fiji visit on the back of signing the Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu signals Canberra’s major shift in diplomacy and defence.
PACNEWS ONE, 06 JULY 2026
In this bulletin: 1. PACIFIC — Australian PM Albanese touches down in Fiji ahead of new Pacific deal2. PACIFIC — PM Wale urges Indonesia to pursue dialogue and reduce tensions in West Papua3. PACIFIC —
Tuvalu and Australia launch WWII ordnance survey in Nanumea Lagoon
TUVALU and Australia have launched Operation RENDER SAFE 2026, a technical reconnaissance mission aimed at identifying unexploded World War II ordnance in Nanumea Lagoon.
Vanuatu Chiefs challenge Canberra deal over use of ‘Nakamal’ name
THE Vanuatu Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs has raised fresh objections to the use of the word “Nakamal” in Vanuatu’s new bilateral agreement with Australia.
Pacific security race heats up as Australia and China court Vanuatu
CHINA has pushed back against Australia’s new security pact with Vanuatu, warning that bilateral agreements in the Pacific should not be aimed at third countries.
Time for a big idea to secure Solomons partnership
THE Solomon Islands is one of the most contested environments in the Indo-Pacific with respect to China’s political warfare
Vanuatu, Australia sign landmark Nakamal Agreement
AUSTRALIA and Vanuatu have signed a new treaty which will deepen security, disaster response, and economic ties between the two countries.
Reading PALM numbers with care – pay, deductions and hours edition
A PACIFIC worker putting in 30 hours on an Australian farm, earning $AUD937 and taking home just over $100 after deductions, as put to a Senate committee in 2022, became, for many people, a defining image of the Pacific
Australia’s huge nuclear dilemma
THE 2026 Lowy Institute Poll reflects an Australia uneasy about its place in the world.
Why has Vanuatu been dropped from the Pacific visa scheme?
THOUSANDS of ni-Vanuatu hoping to apply for permanent residency in Australia next month are seeking answers after Vanuatu was
Australia on high alert after second bird flu case
AUSTRALIA is on high alert after a second bird tested positive for a deadly strain of avian flu, raising concerns the virus may
Nauru reclaims original name
The Central Pacific republic of Nauru stands ready to return to its original name - Naoero.
Samoan PM – Our youth used by drug cartels
SAMOAN Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt claims the country's youth are being used by international drug rings who lure them with hefty pay checks.
Wale pushes Australia reset, highlights $SBD200m aid
MATHEW Wale says Solomon Islands will continue to work closely with Australia on infrastructure financing while also engaging other partners, including the United States, as it pursues development priorities.
Pacific family framing shapes security talks
TRUST and regional responsibility dominated discussion on security at the Canberra press conference, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale framing future
Canberra visit signals fresh start in Australia–Solomon Islands ties
SOLOMON Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale used his first official visit to Canberra to signal a reset in relations with Australia, saying both countries were committed to rebuilding trust after recent strains.
East Timor can’t PALM all the blame off on Australia
JOSE Ramos-Horta, the president of Timor-Leste, for his own political purposes, last week again criticised the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme.
PALM workers unable to re-engage, encouraged to return home
THE Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations says it is aware of reports involving a disengaged Fijian worker in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility
Australia opens green chancery in Tuvalu as ties deepen under Falepili Union
AUSTRALIA and Tuvalu marked another step in their expanding partnership this week with the official opening of a new Australian High Commission Chancery in Funafuti.
