Opening of the redeveloped Cook Barracks

*** Acknowledgements omitted ***

This is such a delight. As the High Commissioner has said, this is the single biggest investment that Australia has made here in Vanuatu – $106 million across the Tiroas Barracks in Santo, which I had the honour of visiting last year, and here at Cook Barracks in Port Vila. And the vast bulk of that expenditure has been invested in the Vanuatu economy, in local businesses who are able to support so many families as a result of what they do, but also local workers. More than 1,000 people have been on this site in the construction of this facility. And those jobs matter and the income they earn matter, but it's also the skills they acquire that matter. More the 600 people being trained up to a white card standard as a result of the work that they did here, that right there is nation building. That is the kind of project which not only delivers an incredible facility such as this, but also makes such a contribution to the skills and the economy of this nation. 

I think most importantly is what we have as a result. In the work that I do as the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, as the Minister for Defence, what has become clear to me is that those who serve in our uniformed services are the foundation of what they do. The Vanuatu Police Force, the Vanuatu Mobile Force are utterly built on the people that serve within them, on the extraordinary decision that those people make to serve their nation. And so investments that we make in enabling those people to live their lives and to perform their work are the most important investments that we can make. There is nothing more important than quality infrastructure, which enables those people who serve in the Vanuatu Mobile Force to do their work. 

I really want to thank and congratulate all those who built this facility. I want to thank and congratulate every member of the Vanuatu Police Force and the Vanuatu Mobile Force who has enabled this project to come to its completion. I really want to thank all of those in the Vanuatu government. This doesn't happen easily. It requires leadership and difficult decisions in order for a project of this kind to be fulfilled. And this is a great day of pride for all of you, and I really mean that. 

People is also very much at the heart of our bilateral relationship. I first came to Vanuatu in 1992 like so many Australians, as a tourist. I stayed at Iririki and got to see the beauty of this nation. And since then, I've come back to Vanuatu on numerous occasions. And over that period of time what has been really clear to me is the closeness between our two peoples. We are the closest of neighbours, but we are the closest of friends. What our shared neighbourhood means is that together, we have a shared destiny in the world. And our job as governments is to allow our two peoples to come together, to work closely together, and to give expression to the natural affinity which the Ni­‑Vanuatu people and the Australian people have for each other. This building is a testament to that. In fact, this building is the great testament to the enduring friendship that exists between the Australian and the Ni‑Vanuatu people. It is an enormous honour for me to be here on this occasion. 

ENDS