Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister and Minister for Women Marise Payne will arrive in Fiji tonight for a two-day visit.

This is her first overseas visit since the re-election of the Morrison Government.

In a statement, Ms Payne said the visit demonstrates the continued depth of Australia’s commitment to our Pacific partners.

“During my visit I will meet with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama; my counterpart Minister for Defence, National Security and Foreign Affairs Inia Seruiratu; and senior Ministers to discuss deepening our security, economic and people-to-people links.

“As part of my new role as Minister for Women, advancing gender equality and women’s rights is a priority and I look forward to engaging with women’s groups during my visit,” Ms Payne said.

During Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s historic visit in January, Mr Morrison and Fijian Prime Minister Bainimarama agreed to take their partnership to a new level through the ‘Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership’.

“My visit is an opportunity to further progress this partnership and our initiatives under Australia’s Pacific Step Up,” Ms Payne said.

“I will also have the opportunity to visit the Blackrock Camp. Australia and Fiji are working together to redevelop this facility into a world-class regional hub for peacekeeping training and pre-deployment preparation.

“In April Fiji joined the Pacific Labour Scheme, and I look forward to discussing how we can maximise mutual benefits from Fiji’s participation in this initiative.”