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JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
ANTHONY ALBANESE MP PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA
FIAMÄ’ NAOMI MATA'AFA PRIME MINISTER OF SAMOA
JOINT STATEMENT
The Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, welcomed the
Honourable FiamÄ Naomi Mata’afa, Prime Minister of the Independent State of Samoa to
Canberra on 22 March 2023. The Prime Ministers’ bilateral talks reflected the longstanding
relationship between Australia and Samoa, underpinned by mutual respect and trust. The
Prime Ministers affirmed their strong partnership and commitment to work together on
shared challenges and priorities to support a stable, prosperous and resilient Pacific
region. Prime Minister Albanese also acknowledged Prime Minister FiamÄ’s historic
achievement in being elected Samoa’s first female Prime Minister, and her contribution to
gender equality in Samoa and the region.
Prime Minister Albanese recognised Prime Minister FiamÄ’s regional leadership and
expressed his appreciation for her significant contribution to Pacific unity. Amidst an
increasingly complex regional outlook, the Prime Ministers acknowledged the centrality of
the Pacific Islands Forum in driving collective responses to shared regional challenges
such as climate change, economic recovery from COVID-19 and regional security. The
leaders welcomed Kiribati’s return to the Forum. They also underlined their commitment to
continue to work together to contribute to a stable, prosperous and resilient Blue Pacific,
based on the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, regionalism and a Pacific
family-first approach to peace and security.
The Prime Ministers acknowledged the urgent need to accelerate international action to
address the existential threat of climate change. Their discussions reinforced their
commitment to work together to advance real and significant climate action and drive the
transition to net-zero, welcoming Australia’s commitment to place Pacific voices at the
centre of international climate discussions. Prime Minister FiamÄ expressed support for
Australia’s bid to host COP31 in partnership with the Pacific. The Prime Ministers
acknowledged their support and co-sponsorship of Vanuatu’s request for an advisory
opinion from the International Court of Justice on climate change.
The Prime Ministers discussed how Australia and Samoa could work together to
strengthen climate resilience in Samoa and the region, recognising the threat climate
change poses to livelihoods, security and wellbeing of Pacific peoples. They reaffirmed
Samoa and Australia’s close security partnership, which encompasses cooperation on
maritime surveillance and ocean stewardship, policing, cyber and transnational crime.
The Prime Ministers reflected on the impacts on COVID-19 on our economies and how
Australia could support Samoa on its journey and reforms towards economic recovery and
resilience. They discussed how the Pacific-Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) program
could best operate to ensure mutual benefit, including ensuring the program delivers for all
Samoans. Prime Minister Albanese welcomed the work underway to refine Samoa's labour
mobility policy settings, and outlined the steps Australia was taking to ensure the scheme
provided further opportunities for skills development. The Prime Ministers agreed to reflect
these developments in a Memorandum of Understanding that would guide the PALM
partnership. The Prime Ministers welcomed continued cooperation on Samoa’s human
development priorities, including health, education, social inclusion and tertiary
scholarships. They also welcomed progress towards support for Samoa’s infrastructure
priorities through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the strong people-to-people links between Australia and
Samoa, with some 98,000 people of Samoan descent living in Australia. They recognised
the important unifying role of sports in our relationship - promoting excellence, health,
gender equality and social cohesion. They celebrated the achievement of Australia and
Samoa’s national teams in reaching the Rugby League World Cup final in November 2022.
The Prime Ministers acknowledged the other ways in which people-to-people linkages
bring Samoans and Australians together - in faith, business and community. The Prime
Ministers discussed Australia’s new Pacific Engagement Visa and its possibilities to further
deepen people-to-people, business and educational linkages.
The Prime Ministers expressed their support for the Pacific Islands Forum’s efforts to
revitalise the Pacific Leaders’ Gender Equality Declaration to advance gender equality and
inclusion in the Blue Pacific.
Formalising this commitment to boost Australia-Samoa links, the Prime Ministers signed a
Bilateral Partnership Arrangement, Ole fala folasia i lo ta va (‘’the map that guides us’). The
Prime Ministers warmly welcomed the closer cooperation the Partnership Arrangement will
engender across the pillars of climate and disaster resilience, security cooperation,
economic growth, human and socio-economic development and people-to-people
linkages. The Prime Ministers reiterated that the partnership between Australia and Samoa
is based on transparency and respect for sovereignty.
The Prime Ministers agreed to continue to work closely together to further strengthen the
partnership between Australia and Samoa and cooperation in support of a stable,
prosperous and resilient Blue Pacific.
WEDNESDAY, 22 MARCH 2023
Media Contact:
Prime Minister's Office: 02 6277 7744 | Media@pm.gov.au