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Australia and Fiji have formally signed a memorandum of understanding for the design of Blackrock Camp, which will serve as a regional hub for police and peacekeeping training in Nadi.
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The announcement was formalised by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in August 2018 as part of his 'Pacific Step-up' plan, which would see Australia take a larger and more visible presence in the Pacific region.
Fiji and Australia have continued to work closely on the design of Blackrock Camp, situated in Nadi, to transform it into a regional hub for police and peacekeeping training and pre-deployment preparation.
Fiji's Ministry of Defence and National Security and the Department of Defence signed the MoU that will provide the framework to progress the redevelopment of the Blackrock facility.
Blackrock Camp will increase the interoperability between the nations' security forces, enabling greater training and people-to-people links.
This announcement follows the recent signing of a similar MoU between Australia and Papua New Guinea for the development of a major naval base at Lombrum.
The 'Pacific Step-up' doctrine has two interconnected areas of Australian focus, namely:
- Enhanced regional economic collaboration and integration through investment in key infrastructure and economic drivers, like communications networks; and
- Regional strategic partnerships and alliances to promote transparent dialogue and amicable strategic relations.
Chief of Defence, General Angus Campbell, AO, DSC, reinforced the Prime Minister’s comments from August 2018, saying, "Australia is committed to taking our engagement with the region to a new level, working with our Pacific partners to build a region that is prosperous, secure and respectful of sovereignty."
Australia will also provide training and infrastructure upgrades to support the domestic security and defence capabilities of regional partners like Fiji, PNG and Vanuatu, with the Prime Minister outlining an expansion of the island nation’s police force and the appointment of a new Australian defence adviser in Vanuatu.
The growing strategic, economic and political competition between China, the US, Japan and Australia also served as a central point of concern for the Prime Minister.
Australia’s growing economic and strategic pivot to the Pacific provides new opportunities for Australian businesses of all shapes and sizes as the nation continues to invest in both regional infrastructure and defence capability to ensure the enduring peace, prosperity and stability of “our patch”.
