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Australian closing in on multi-million-dollar NRL expansion deal with Papua New Guinea
ABC NEWS (Australia)
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10/14/2024
Australia is closing in on a multi-million-dollar deal that would see Papua New Guinea join the NRL. And the ABC can reveal a major security agreement is at the heart of the negotiations.
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00:00
On the rugby field, it's a game of sport, but off the pitch, the contest is one of geostrategic
00:10
influence.
00:11
Australia is negotiating a deal that could see it provide up to $600 million in funding
00:16
over 10 years to help PNG get a team in the NRL.
00:21
In return, Australia wants a promise that PNG won't sign a security patch with China
00:27
that would allow it to base police or military troops in the Pacific country.
00:32
Australia's Minister for the Pacific, Pat Conroy, didn't give details about the security
00:36
element but says the deal will help bring the two nations closer together.
00:40
Only four kilometres separates the two countries.
00:43
You could swim between the two countries if you weren't worried about crocodiles, and
00:47
you should be.
00:48
And rugby league is one element of our soft diplomacy.
00:52
It comes at a time of intense geopolitical competition in the region after Solomon Islands
00:58
signed a wide-ranging security patch with China in 2022.
01:02
Minister Conroy met PNG's Prime Minister James Marape and NRL Chief Andrew Abdo on
01:08
the sidelines of the Prime Minister's 13 rugby league games in Port Moresby yesterday.
01:13
It's unclear exactly when the final deal will be announced, with negotiations ongoing, but
01:19
all parties say they're feeling optimistic.
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