Bipartisan visit to Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands

  • Joint media release

Wewill travel to Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the MarshallIslands from 3 to 7 June for a bipartisan visit with our portfoliocounterparts, Senator the Hon Penny Wong and Senator Claire Moore.

Our visit is a further demonstration ofAustralia's longstanding and enduring commitment to the Pacific, as set out inthe Government's Foreign Policy White Paper and recognised by our recent $1.3billion Pacific aid budget in 2018-19 – Australia's largest evercontribution.

Duringour visit, we will sign aid partnerships with Palau and the Federated States ofMicronesia, and discuss the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations(PACER) Plus free trade deal.

In Palau, we will meet President Tommy Remengesau and senior Ministers todiscuss the environment and opportunities for greater cooperation. We will alsomeet female members of Palau's Congress and announce Australia's role inimplementing the Palau Pledge, an innovative eco-tourism initiative.

In the Federated States of Micronesia, we will hold talks with President PeterChristian and visit the country's Australian-funded Pacific Patrol Boat unit tosee how our cooperation assists the region to secure its valuable maritimeresources.

In the Marshall Islands, we will meet President Dr Hilde Heine to discusscooperation on education, security and development matters. We will also visitthe United States military base on Kwajalein Atoll and the Australian-fundeddrinking water plant on Ebeye Island.

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