Promise check: Establish a new Australia-Pacific Defence School

Promise check: Establish a new Australia-Pacific Defence School

At the 2022 election, Labor promised to establish a new Australia-Pacific Defence School. Here's how that promise is tracking.

Te Kukupa patrol boat at Port of Avatiu Rarotonga Cook Islands

During the election, Labor sought to paint the former government as being asleep at the wheel on matters of regional security, after it was revealed Solomon Islands and China had signed a new security pact.

On April 26, 2022, the party announced its plan for greater regional leadership and cooperation.

In a media statement, Labor promised that an Albanese government would "[e]stablish a new Australia-Pacific Defence School to provide training for members of defence and security forces from Pacific Island nations".

"The new Australia Pacific Defence School will be funded at $6.5 million over four years through existing Defence resources."

According to a pre-election policy document, the school would "expand and bring greater coordination to existing Australian Defence Force (ADF) Pacific training activities".

"Participants would include members of the PNG Defence Force, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Tonga's Armed Forces, the Timor-Leste Defence Force, the Vanuatu Mobile Force and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force."

The promise was repeated on Twitter and during a May 2022 speech by then shadow assistant minister for international development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy.

Assessing the promise

Labor did not set a date by which it would establish its defence school, though it promised to fund it "over four years through existing Defence resources".

This promise will be delivered if the government has, through a new defence school, delivered training to security forces from Pacific Island nations before the next federal election.

Here's how the promise is tracking:

19 May 2023

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19 May 2023

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