Australia has admitted it had not focused enough attention on its Pacific backyard but vowed to make "long overdue" amends, amid growing Chinese influence in the region.
"I think we would have to accept some criticism," Australia's minister for international development and the Pacific, Anne Ruston, told AFP on Friday.
"We have perhaps not put as much attention and effort into our own region as we should of."
"I think we've had our focus gazed much further afield for a very long time," said Ruston. "It has certainly, more recently, been forced to be refocused back onto our own region."
"That's a good thing. And it was certainly long overdue."
"However you see the security and sovereignty of our region the Pacific is extremely important to Australia."
"I think one of the things that we've probably failed to do is to sell the message to the Australian public about why it is so important for Australia to assist, particularly our close neighbours in the Pacific."
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