Thank you, Minister Tuisawau for hosting me here today.

It’s a great pleasure to be here in Fiji to officially launch Australia’s new regional skills program in Fiji – Pacific Australia Skills – and to open the refurbished Vuvale Union Skills Hub.

These facilities are an example of the great things that can happen when Australia and Fiji work together.

The best investment any nation can make is in its people.

That is why investment in education and skills are a foundational part of the Vuvale Union that Prime Minister Rabuka and I signed this morning.

As part of the Pacific Australia Skills program, Australia and Fiji will develop TVET Centres of Excellence here in Suva to build the skills that drive economic growth.

These centres will back in Fiji’s goal to become a regional leader in the digital economy.

Through the Vuvale Union, we have committed 145 million Fijian Dollars to support the key building blocks for this digital transformation.

Similarly, I know that Prime Minister Rabuka is ambitious to make Fiji a ship maintenance and repair hub for the Pacific.

We will work with leading Australian training partners to support this.

Pacific Australia Skills will build on two decades of work.

Over that time, thousands of Fijians have gained qualifications, improved their skills, and built successful careers.

Technology is rapidly changing the world of work, with new opportunities emerging every day across our region.

Australia’s partnership with Fiji will help us navigate these changes together, to create more opportunities and brighter futures for our people.

Vinaka vakalevu.