Vanuatu and Australia are set to re-sign an important strategic agreement in September, but its ratification may be stymied by immigration demands.
The Vanuatu Australia Nakamal Partnership Agreement, a framework for development cooperation between the two nations, was first signed in 2022 to “jointly address critical priorities”, covering security, trade and development.
Local media have reported Prime Minister Jotham Napat wants visa-free access to Australia otherwise “the deal is off”.
Napat inherited the Nakamal agreement from previous Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau. At the time, Penny Wong signed the agreement for Australia as foreign minister. Wong still holds this portfolio.
The Lowy Institute’s Pacific geopolitical expert Mihai Sora said Napat was pushing for change in an environment that favoured Pacific nations.
The Nakamal deal was part of Australia’s ongoing efforts to demonstrate its role as the region’s primary security provider, he said.
“The context right now in the Pacific is of intense competition for influence, for access [and] for being the preferred partner whether it’s in the development space or the security space or the economic space.
“So, this gives individual Pacific countries a great deal of leverage to essentially get better deals from traditional partners and get better deals from new partners as well.”
Australia’s strict visa regime has been a long-standing political issue in the Pacific region. Leaders from different nations have repeatedly asked for free movement of people across the region in recent years.
Currently, all Pacific national must get a visa to enter Australia. The costs of that, and prolonged processing times were common complaints. In New Zealand, changes to visa requirements were ushered in at the weekend.
Now, Pacific nationals with visitor visas can enter the country multiple times within a 24-month period. Previously, an individual had to apply for a visa each time they wanted to come to New Zealand.
In November, a 12-month trial aimed at making it easier to go from Australia and New Zealand for nationals from Pacific Island Forum (PIF) countries is also due to begin.
Under the trial anyone from a PIF country with a valid Australian visa will be able to enter New Zealand for up to three months with just an electronic travel authority. The electronic travel authority is what’s issued to nationals from countries on New Zealand’s visa-waiver list.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has also told RNZ Pacific: “Australia is pleased to be working with the Vanuatu government on the Nakamal Agreement to elevate our bilateral relationship”.
Sora believes Napat had focused on visa-free access as a negotiating tactic. While he thought Australia was unlikely to concede to the demand, he said some change in immigration rules was possible.
“There are a number of ways to reform the existing visa regime that that makes it an easier process for Pacific nationals seeking to enter Australia, whether it’s for short term or longer term,” he said.
“It could be to do with the cost of those processes, which as we know, are very, very high particularly for individuals that are coming from low-income households.
He said the time it takes for those applications to be processed can also be “hugely disruptive”.
“It can take many, many months and there’s plenty of examples of people’s plans…[basically] evaporating because it’s just taken too long for a visa to be processed,” he said.
“The ask may be seen as unrealistic and unreasonable, but the end result – after negotiations – it may be…possible to see some improvements at least in the practical effect of how that visa regime is experienced by not just ni-Vanuatu but other Pacific Islanders seeking to travel to Australia.”
A spokesperson from DFAT said Australia was looking forward to continuing work with Vanautu on the agreement, which focused on “boosting our economic, security and people-to-people connections”.
Source: RNZ
