10th of April 2024
Talofa lava and welcome aboard this Royal Australian Navy Ship HMAS Stuart.
It is an honour to join Commander Richard Raymond and his crew in hosting you all this evening.
We are pleased to welcome the HMAS Stuart and its crew on its journey home to Australia following a successful exercise with the United States Navy in Hawaii.
I offer my deepest faafetai tele lava to the Samoan Government, particularly the Samoa
Police Service, for the very warm welcome for the ship and its crew earlier today.
HMAS Stuart is an Anzac-class frigate.
It is one of 10 in this class of ships – 8 operated by the Royal Australian Navy, and two by the Royal New Zealand Navy.
It embodies the Anzac spirit of courage, camaraderie, and resilience.
As Anzac Day draws near, we are reminded of these values, and the sacrifices made for the freedoms we cherish.
On that note I acknowledge our Kiwi friends who are joining us this evening.
These same values – courage, camaraderie, and resilience – also underpin Samoa and Australia’s work together for a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Blue Pacific.
Australia is proud of our long partnership, spanning 35 years, to support Samoa’s maritime security.
Earlier this year I was honoured to join the Samoan Government to welcome Nafanua III home.
Nafanua III, like its predecessors, supports Samoa’s critical work of patrolling its own sovereign waters – combatting transnational crime and deterring illegal fishing.
I understand Nafanua III has spent a total of 3 weeks out at sea and have conducted 21 successful boardings since its arrival – an incredible achievement by the crew, reflecting their commitment and hard work.
This morning it was great to see the crews of Nafanua and Stuart bring in both ships side by side – one of numerous examples of how we continue to work together and learn from one another.
As with all our support, we are adaptable and pivot to support Samoa’s priorities.
Our long-standing partnership is also supporting Samoa as it prepares to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting later this year – a fantastic platform to elevate Pacific priorities to the world.
Australia is proud to be one of Samoa’s closest security partners, working to keep its most important assets – your people, your land, and your waters – safe and prosperous.
The modern security challenges we face are as vast as the oceans that bind us.
Our collective response to these challenges must be by the Pacific, for the Pacific – recognising our interconnectedness in the region we call home.
We want to maintain the peaceful region we enjoy.
A region where we have the freedom to decide our own futures, free of interference.
We do this by being active, by exercising agency, and by contributing our efforts to the balance of power in our region – so no country dominates, and no country is dominated.
We want each country – large or small – to operate by the same rules. Rules that we have all had a say in shaping.
In this respect, I acknowledge Prime Minister Fiame – her leadership and advocacy for regionalism, particularly through the Pacific Islands Forum, have been instrumental in shaping a more cohesive and resilient Pacific community.
Tonight, as we enjoy the hospitality aboard HMAS Stuart, we reflect on the strength of the Samoa-Australia Partnership, and our work together to build a thriving Blue Pacific underpinned by our shared values.
I would like to propose a toast – to a safe, secure, and prosperous Samoa and Blue Pacific.
Faafetai tele lava. Soifua ma ia manuia.
SOURCE – Australian High Commission, Samoa
