Parliamentary committee puts ratification of Fiji-Australia security treaty on hold

A landmark treaty signed between Fiji and Australia earlier this year, which was described by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as "one of the most significant endeavours" undertaken by Canberra, has been put on ice after a Fijian parliamentary committee advised against its immediate ratification.

It comes after one of Fiji's most prominent traditional leaders, Ratu Tevita Mara, had warned Fijian lawmakers in September to vote down the Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance (Veitacini Treaty).

The two major agreements, inked in July, would strengthen cooperation on security, economic development, climate resilience and regional stability, the Fijian and Australian governments had announced at the time.

However, on Wednesday, the Fijian parliament's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence chairperson Lenora Qereqeretabua told legislators that the committee recommended that the ratification of the two agreements be deferred - throwing a spanner in Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's efforts to get them over the line.

Qereqeretabua, who is also the deputy speaker and assistant minister of foreign affairs, said the committee recommended further negotiations with Australia before the agreements proceed.

"In relation to the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Union, the Committee acknowledges its potential to strengthen economic cooperation, infrastructure development, education, health services, climate resilience and people-to-people relations," Qereqeretabua said in her foreword to the committee's report.

"However, concerns were raised regarding the implications of closer economic and institutional integration, Fiji's ability to maintain independent relationships with other development partners, the protection of critical infrastructure and sovereign data, and the transparency of the proposed ten-year Work Plan and financial commitments.

"In relation to the Ocean of Peace Alliance ('Veitacini Treaty'), the Committee expresses particular concern regarding the interpretation and potential implications of mutual defence obligations, visiting forces arrangements, foreign military presence, intelligence sharing, third-party security engagements and the protection of Fiji's constitutional authority over defence and national security decisions."

Rabuka said he was "very disappointed" and would pursue "another route" in the House to get the bilateral agreements ratified.

The Vuvale Union is a broad political and economic framework, while the Veitacini Treaty is the specific defence and security pillar within that wider strategic partnership.

Both Fiji and Australia have hailed the agreements as "significant" for their future relations.