‘We are family now’: Sāmoa, Tonga leaders strengthen Pacific bonds with Australia

Sāmoa Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt says Pacific ties with Australia have moved beyond friendship, describing the relationship as one built on family, people and shared opportunities.

“We are no longer friends, we are family now,” Laaulialemalietoa told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during leaders’ talks in Brisbane on Wednesday.

The meeting brought together Albanese with the prime ministers of Sāmoa, Tonga and Papua New Guinea, as Pacific leaders discussed security, climate change, labour mobility and the role of sports in strengthening regional connections.

Laaulialemalietoa said generations of Sāmoans living in Australia had helped create strong links between the two countries.

“Our people might live here a long time ago - the second, the third, the fourth generation already here in Australia so we have a very strong connections in all aspects,” he said.

He thanked Australia for its support to Sāmoa and the wider Pacific including development assistance and the completion of Sāmoa’s Parliament.

“We consider Australia as one of the strongest partners to protect us all in the Pacific region and Sāmoa,” Laaulialemalietoa said.

The Sāmoa leader also highlighted the importance of sports particularly rugby league in creating pathways for young Pacific people.

“I can assure you there are more superstars in the Pacific that need to bring up here,” he said.

Watch Pacific leaders Lord Fakafanua, James Marape and Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt in Brisbane below.

Tonga Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua also used his first meeting with Albanese to highlight the importance of deepening ties between the two countries.

Fakafanua said Tonga’s relationship with Australia was strengthened through personal connections, economic links and Pacific labour mobility.

He said the mobility scheme had made a major contribution to Tonga’s economy with around 39 to 40 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) linked to mobility visas.

Tonga Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua, left, meets Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape as Sāmoa Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt looks on. Photo/Prime Minister's Office, Tonga

Fakafanua said remittances from Tongan workers overseas remained a vital part of the country’s economy.

“We hope that planning for the future we can deepen our relationship, look at more two-way pathways, strengthening our economic ties as well as security concerns that are common across the Pacific,” he said.

Albanese said Australia’s relationships with Pacific countries were built on shared challenges and opportunities, and included climate change, economic development and people-to-people connections.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, receives a Tongan rugby league jersey from Tonga Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua. Photo/Prime Minister's Office, Tonga

“We're all part of the Pacific family and that is why I'm so pleased to welcome you here,” he told Fakafanua.

He said Australia wanted to continue strengthening cooperation across the region, including through the Pacific Labour Mobility (PALM) Programme and climate action.

The Australian leader also pointed to the role of sport in connecting Pacific communities, saying the islanders had made a major impact in rugby league.

The talks came as Pacific leaders prepare for further regional discussions including the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Palau next month and climate talks ahead of COP later this year.

Albanese also said Pacific leaders would soon release a joint statement on China’s recent missile test in the region, reinforcing the importance of Pacific countries working together on regional peace and security.