A new policy brief by ni-Vanuatu researcher Anna Naupa has warned that Australia’s growing focus on security threats in the Pacific is straining relations with Vanuatu and risks undermining trust, development cooperation and long-term regional partnerships.
In the paper titled Between backyards and nakamals: Shifting Australia–Vanuatu relations, Naupa argues that Canberra’s increasing “strategic anxiety” over China’s influence in the Pacific has reshaped its engagement with Vanuatu, often at the expense of deeper historical, cultural and economic ties.
“Australia’s strategic anxiety and narrative emphasis on security ‘threats’ in the Pacific Islands region have increasingly dominated bilateral affairs in the past decade,” the brief states.
The paper says this shift “risks a neglect of historical and contemporary reciprocal relations, which in turn can undermine diplomatic trust-building”.
Naupa argues that Australia’s push to become the Pacific’s “partner of choice” has sometimes appeared “heavy-handed” and disconnected from Pacific priorities.
“At the core of these issues is a tension between Australia’s claim of being part of a ‘Pacific family’ and its pursuit of national interests,” the brief says.
The report points to tensions over climate policy, security agreements and Australia’s handling of Pacific diplomacy, including criticism over the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pact and Canberra’s position during Vanuatu’s climate case at the International Court of Justice.
“It is particularly concerning that some of these nations, upon whom we depend for aid and support, have not acknowledged the severity of the crisis or their responsibilities under international law,” Vanuatu Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu said during the ICJ hearings in 2024.
The brief says Pacific countries often see Australian policies as imposed rather than jointly developed, especially as Canberra has signed a growing number of bilateral security agreements across the region since 2018.
Naupa argues Australia’s focus on traditional security ignores the broader Pacific understanding of security under the Boe Declaration, which includes climate change, development and human security.
The paper highlights the stalled Nakamal Agreement between Australia and Vanuatu as a clear example of those tensions.
The agreement, initially linked to a 2022 bilateral security deal, later expanded into negotiations covering climate cooperation, trade, labour mobility and visa access.
However, the negotiations became bogged down amid concerns in Vanuatu over sovereignty and the wording around “critical infrastructure”.
Naupa says Australia’s securitised approach risks ignoring issues that matter deeply to Vanuatu, including recognition of blackbirding history, economic partnership and climate resilience.
“These aspects, which include formally acknowledging the history of blackbirding, truly engaging as ‘family’ on shared economic interests, and nurturing resilience within a critical friendship, demand appropriate high-level, practical recognition of the two countries’ interdependence,” the brief says.
The report revisits the history of blackbirding, where more than 62,000 Melanesians, including ni-Vanuatu people, were taken to work on Queensland plantations between 1863 and 1904.
Former Vanuatu Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil had publicly called on Australia in 2013 to apologise for the labour trade.
“We want an apology from Australia to recognise a shameful part of history,” Carcasses Kalosil said.
The brief says Australia has still not fully acknowledged the history at the highest political levels, despite ongoing reconciliation efforts between communities in Vanuatu and descendants of Australian South Sea Islanders.
Naupa also criticised the growing use of third-party contractors in Australia’s aid programs, saying it distances Australian officials from Pacific counterparts.
“This creates a dynamic where Pacific Island governments feel they are being ‘project managed’ rather than treated as collaborative colleagues,” the paper says.
The report argues that Australia needs deeper “Pacific literacy”, including cultural understanding, empathy and what it describes as “slow diplomacy”.
“A guiding ethos of strategic empathy – sensitivity to other countries’ emotional, symbolic, and aspirational goals – along with an acknowledgement by Australia of its own biases and national ego would strengthen regional relations,” the brief says.
Naupa says the concept of the “nakamal way” offers a better framework for future Australia–Vanuatu relations.
A nakamal in Vanuatu is traditionally an inclusive meeting space where dialogue, listening and participation are encouraged.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat described the principle in 2025 by saying, “A nakamal is for everyone.”
The brief argues that applying the nakamal approach to diplomacy would encourage more balanced and respectful engagement between the two countries.
It also calls for stronger economic cooperation, including better market access for Vanuatu exports, expanded labour mobility opportunities and easier travel access for ni-Vanuatu citizens.
The report notes that ni-Vanuatu workers play a major role in Australia’s horticulture sector, contributing to an industry worth AUD$18 billion (US$12.57 billion) annually, while remittances back to Vanuatu reached an estimated AUD$277 million (US$198 million) in 2021.
Naupa says Australia needs to publicly recognise those contributions rather than viewing the Pacific mainly through aid and security lenses.
The brief also recommends that both governments adopt a “critical friendship” approach that allows open disagreement while maintaining strong diplomatic ties.
“A critical friends approach should be institutionalised within bilateral relations to strengthen diplomatic resilience while respecting each other’s sovereign foreign policy choices,” the report states.
The paper concludes that the proposed Nakamal Agreement could become an opportunity for both countries to reshape relations beyond security concerns if handled properly.
“A nakamal framework must be more than a decorative headline for Australia–Vanuatu engagement if it is to be a key tool for fostering robust, resilient diplomatic relations,” Naupa said.
