Mother-daughter team urges Parliament to delay Aust treaty vote

A mother-and-daughter team has told Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that two major treaties with Australia should be put on hold until after the next election.

Entrepreneur Laisa Digitaki and her daughter, Natasha Digitaki Weleilakeba, made the call today as the first civil society submitters to appear before the committee on the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance.

The next general election is due by February 6, 2027.

“Our central request is simple: that this committee should recommend that Parliament does not approve either treaty during the present parliamentary term,” Ms Weleilakeba said.

She said the pair were appearing as “concerned Fijian citizens” and were not opposed to Australia.

“We are not here to attack Australia,” she said.

Ms Weleilakeba acknowledged Australia’s support for Fiji during the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.

However, the pair called for greater transparency and scrutiny before Parliament considers the treaties.

From left: Entrepreneur Laisa Digitaki and her daughter Natasha Digitaki Weleilakeba in Parliament on September 7, 2026.

Photo: Parliament of Fiji

They said Parliament should:

• publish the treaties’ full 10-year work plan and all side letters before any vote;
• obtain a 10-year financial impact statement and publish a Fiji-Australia aid register dating back to 2019;
• obtain independent legal advice on defence, jurisdiction and sovereignty issues;
• consider any visiting forces agreement separately in Parliament; and
• allow the next elected Parliament to decide whether to ratify the treaties.

Committee deputy chair Rinesh Sharma said he agreed with calls for a “sunset clause”.

He also called for greater transparency on how Australian funding was spent.

Opposition MP Virendra Lal said the lack of detail in the work plan was “a concern to all of us”.

Assistant Minister for Health Penioni Ravunawa thanked the pair for being the first civil society submitters to appear before the committee.

Committee chairperson and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Lenora Qereqeretabua also thanked the submitters for their research and confirmed that their recommendations had been noted.

The committee is required to report back to the Speaker within 30 days.

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