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Australian Defence Force explosive ordnance disposal specialists have touched down in Nauru to support the safe disposal of a World War II-era 500-pound bomb as part of Operation Render Safe.
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The two specialists arrived in Nauru on 4 December at the invitation of the government of Nauru to inspect the unexploded ordnance, which was discovered during works at an industrial site.
Additional specialists arrived in early December to collaborate with local police and the Nauru government to generate plans for the disposal of the ordnance.
The announcement comes as Australia continues to step up engagement across the Pacific.
In early December, the Commonwealth announced that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart, the Honourable James Marape, formally signed a bilateral security agreement between the two nations.
This legally binding framework will deepen the security cooperation between Australia and Papua New Guinea at a time when the People’s Republic of China is rapidly asserting and expanding its influence across the region, with its eyes firmly set on the south Pacific.
The Albanese government believes this formalisation of the security partnership between the two nations will “elevate our security relationship to advance shared security interests while contributing to our region’s security”.
The agreement fulfils a commitment under the joint Comprehensive Strategic and Economic Partnership and is consistent with “our shared” commitment to transparency. The agreement will be publicly available.
Additionally, Prime Minister Albanese announced a $200 million commitment to support the delivery of Papua New Guinea’s national security priorities.
This includes full support for Papua New Guinea’s internal security, from police to courts to correctional services and includes initiatives that reflect the bilateral security agreement’s focus on climate change, gender-based violence, and cyber.
In addition, Papua New Guinea will establish a Police Recruit and Investigations Training Centre in Port Moresby, with Australian government support, enabling the country to recruit and train a larger and more capable force. Papua New Guinea has offered to open the training centre to other Pacific police forces.
Papua New Guinea and Australia will continue to support the development of regional policing in the Pacific through the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police as the region’s policing institution.
The government said: “We will continue to support economic security, including through support for trade, border security, and increased engagement in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme.”
