Telebere News

More than 200 personnel will deploy to Western Province this September for the return of Operation Render Safe to Solomon Islands. The operation will identify and destroy unexploded ordnance (UXO) remaining from World War II. Operation Render Safe is a joint Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) led activity to undertake the disposal of UXOs in Solomon Islands. Australia navy divers conducting reconnaissance with RSIPF by boat around Munda. This will be the first full Operation Render Safe in Solomon Islands since before the COVID 19 pandemic and the largest land-based Render Safe activity ever conducted. Since the last Operation Render Safe in Solomon Islands, the ADF has been working with the RSIPF Explosive Ordnance Department (EOD) Department to significantly bolster its EOD capability with new equipment and advanced training. A reconnaissance team comprised of RSIPF and military EOD specialists travelled to Munda last week to survey...

The Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) is proud to announce the official launch of the APTC Alumni Jobs Portal, a groundbreaking initiative designed to bridge the gap between skilled job seekers and employers seeking top talent. This initiative is a testament to APTC’s dedication to streamlining recruitment for employers across the Pacific and Timor-Leste and represents a significant development for the region’s workforce. The Alumni Jobs Portal provides a centralised hub for job opportunities, simplifying the search process and expanding APTC graduates’ access to domestic and regional jobs. This powerful tool enhances their job-seeking capabilities and opens doors to new career prospects. For employers, the Jobs Portal makes it easier for companies to find qualified candidates with relevant APTC qualifications, thereby saving them valuable time and resources. APTC launched a groundbreaking initiative designed to bridge the gap between skilled job seekers and employers ...

The new Western Extension of Honiara’s Central Market will be completed next month, creating undercover space for 100 vendors. Local workers have been busy installing the large roof and are finishing the concrete bench tables and other works in time for the opening. Australia is partnering with Honiara City Council to expand Central Market, bringing a large section undercover from the sun and rain. The SBD10 million project, which is being delivered using local builder Tropic Group Builders, has created over 30 local jobs during construction. Australia is committed to creating work for both men and women in designing and delivering infrastructure projects wherever possible . Photo by Australia High Commission, Solomon Islands. Australia’s acting High Commissioner Mr Andrew Schloeffel said he was delighted to see work progress smoothly, led by the project’s skilled local workforce. “The expanded market creates a larger, improved space for vendors to earn money to support their...

A Solomon Islands delegation representing key partners in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) undertook a study tour recently to TAFE Queensland, Australia. The study tour was facilitated by Australia through the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC). The objective of the tour was to enable TVET stakeholders, including representatives from the Solomon Islands Tertiary Education Skills Authority (SITESA) and Rural Training Centre (RTCs), to experience firsthand about TAFE’s compliance processes and learn from representatives from the Australian TVET regulator, Australia Skills Authority Quality (ASQA). The APTC Country Director for Solomon Islands and Kiribati, Abigail Chang, emphasised the impact this opportunity would have on enhancing the workforce, employment outcomes, and people’s lives. Delegates from the Solomon Islands during the study tour to TAFE Queensland, Australia, highlighting their commitment to quality and compliance in TVET. “Strong emplo...

The Solomon Islands National Statistics Office has released its latest Statistical Bulletin for International Arrivals, revealing a notable decrease in the total number of arrivals for the first quarter of 2024. According to the report, the total number of arrivals was 10,159, marking a 45.1% decline compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Acting Government Statistician Samson Kanamoli highlighted that despite the quarterly decrease, there was a significant annual increase of 22.1% compared to the same quarter in 2023. The report details that returning residents comprised 51.0% of all arrivals for the first quarter of 2024, followed by visitors at 48.3%, and intending residents making up less than 1.0%. Visitor arrivals sharply declined by 57.0% to 4,903 in Q1 2024, compared to 11,415 in Q4 2023. However, there was a 25.7% increase annually from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024. International Arrivals, revealing a notable decrease in the total number of arrivals for the first quarter of 2024...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, The Hon Jeremiah Manele MP, to Australia for an official visit from Sunday, 23 June to Saturday, 29 June 2024. This visit marks Prime Minister Manele’s first official international trip since taking office in May 2024. Australia and the Solomon Islands are close friends with connected futures. We share a history of close cooperation. Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Manele will meet at Parliament House to discuss further opportunities to strengthen the bilateral relationship, including security partnerships, economic development, labor mobility pathways, and infrastructure cooperation. Prime Minister Manele will make his first official international trip to Australia since taking office in May 2024 – Photo: Island Sun Newspaper. Prime Minister Manele will also travel to Queensland to see how the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme delivers economic benefits for the Solomon Islands ...

Honiara City residents can now enjoy relief from the sun and rain while waiting for public transportation. Mayor Eddie Siapu has officially opened the first of five new Australian-funded bus shelters. The new shelters, located along Mendana and Kukum highways, are designed to provide accessible and comfortable waiting areas for thousands of daily commuters who rely on Honiara's busy PMV network. Mayor Siapu ex pressed his excitement about Australia's Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program's contribution to the project. He highlighted the importance of reliable public transport and praised the shelters' accessibility features, which cater to people with disabilities. “Reliable, accessible, and comfortable public transport is vital, and it enables the residents of Honiara to move around comfortably from the rain and heat of the sun,” Mayor Siapu said. “I also commend the design of these bus shelters, which cater to our people with disabilities. I encourage the resi...

Tourism operators across the Solomon Islands have traveled to Australia to build knowledge on sustainable tourism and foster connections with industry counterparts. Australia supported four tourism businesses that were selected to attend the Global Sustainable Tourism Summit in Brisbane from 4 to 6 June. Organised by Ecotourism Australia, the inaugural summit brought together over 200 experts and speakers from Australia and the region representing sustainable tourism operations and destinations. Ecotourism involves responsible travel to natural areas that aim to conserve the environment, sustain the well-being of local communities, and provide interpretation and education. Australian High Commissioner Rod Hilton said the trip underscores Australia's dedication to supporting economic development in the Solomon Islands through sustainable tourism initiatives. “Solomon Islands is considered an emerging eco-tourism destination due to its natural beauty, unique culture, and clos...

Mbokona Community High School ha s received a new science laboratory, a project generously funded by the Australian and New Zealand governments in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) through the Education Sector Support Program. The SBD1.5 million infrastructure project, constructed by Kabs Construction, provides a cutting-edge facility designed to enhance students' learning experiences by offering a dedicated space for acquiring new skills and concepts through practical engagement. Australia Foreign Minister, Senator Penny Wong had brief conversation with Mbokona CHS Science student. (Image provided by MEHRD) Principal Basil Wasiia expressed his gratitude and emphasized the importance of this addition . He said, "The science lab acquisition addresses a critical infrastructure need that Mbokona Community High School has lacked for the past 22 years. We can now offer a full science curriculum to our high school students every ...

Australia’s Strongim Bisnis recently held an evening of cocoa networking, connecting Solomon Islands cocoa businesses, international cocoa buyers, and the Solomon Islands and Australian governments. Australia also facilitated the attendance of eight international cocoa buyers from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the USA, and Japan, allowing them to explore potential export partnerships within the Solomon Islands cocoa sector. Ministers sample some of the cocoa products - accompanied by Ms Emily Flahive, Economic Counsellor at the Australian High Commission Speaking at the cocoa networking event, the Minister for Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration, Hon. Harry Kuma, reaffirmed the Ministry’s ongoing commitment to partnering with cocoa stakeholders and Australia to lay the groundwork for significant growth in the cocoa sector.   "At this juncture, I would like to thank the Australian Government for facilitating such partnerships, which hold the potential to ensure ...

Australia’s Foreign Minister, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, today announced funding of 494 scholarships to equip Solomon Islanders with the skills and qualifications they need to get jobs, at home in Solomon Islands and abroad.    Since 2021, Australia has helped to create more than 14,700 jobs through its development partnership with Solomon Islands, including through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.   Minister Wong was joined by Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon Peter Shanel, and Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Hon Tozen Leokana.   Australia’s support for the 494 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) scholarships for Solomon Islanders recognises the importance of skills training for economic development.     “These scholarships will provide Solomon Islanders with fully funded qualifications that equip them with work-ready skills and experience in sectors such as constructio...

The Australian Government announced today a significant investment in renewable energy projects for the Solomon Islands, alongside partnerships across the Pacific region. These initiatives aim to bring clean and reliable power to remote communities, boosting livelihoods and climate resilience. The Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships in the Solomon Islands include: ·       Securing access to renewable energy on Solomon Islands’ Savo Island| Partnership between Archipelago Energy and the Australian Government in Central Province ·      Energising Solomon Islands’ Malaita community with affordable solar power | Partnership between Superfly, Mai-Ma’asina Green Belt, Save the Children Solomon Islands and the Australian Government in Malaita Province ·          Powering Solomon Islands’ Vavanga community with affordable renewable energy | Partnership between Pelena Energy and the Australian Govern...

Australia’s Foreign Minister, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, visited Mbokona Community High School in Honiara to meet with the school community and officially open a new science laboratory. The new facility is part of Australia’s SBD 29 million contribution to school infrastructure upgrades in partnership with the Solomon Islands and New Zealand. Students from the Mbokona Community High School, representing all nine provinces, line up to welcome Australian Foreign Minister the Hon Senator Penny Wong   Minister Wong joined the Solomon Islands Minister of Education and Human Resources Development, Hon Tozen Leokana, to mark the occasion. "Australia is Solomon Island’s largest education partner," Minister Wong s aid . "Since 2015, Australia has invested SBD 720 million in basic education in the Solomon Islands. This includes building and upgrading 180 school facilities across all provinces, training more than 3,000 schoolteachers, supporting education reforms, and prov...

The Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) recently provided a crucial boost to its Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) partner, Bishop Naramana Institute of Technology in Isabel Province, Solomon Islands. The Institute’s remote location makes it vulnerable to fuel shortages and this has affected its ability to continuously deliver courses that require the use of modern equipment. This timely support by APTC will help boost the Institute’s power supply and assist in effectively delivering courses in construction, carpentry, and joinery, thus enhancing students’ learning experience. APTC Country Director for the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, Ms Abigail Chang, reiterated APTC’s commitment to collaborating with the Bishop Naramana Institute of Technology to advance quality TVET provision across the Hapi Isles. Guests at the handover ceremony of fuel support to Bishop Naramana Institute of Technology in Isabel Province, Solomon Islands. “The fuel support directly ...

Australia’s foreign minister, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, arrived in Honiara today and met with Prime Minister Hon Jeremiah Manele and key ministers of the Government for National Unity and Transformation. During her meeting with Prime Minister Manele, Minister Wong congratulated him on his appointment and listened to the new government’s priorities. Emphasizing the importance of their bilateral relationship, Minister Wong stated, "Prime Minister Manele is a good friend of Australia, and our meeting today was an opportunity to discuss how we can work together to transform our partnership and assist the Solomon Islands in meeting its economic, social, and security objectives more quickly." Minister Wong highlighted the Solomon Islands' strategic significance to Australia, noting, "The Solomon Islands is an important partner for Australia. Our two countries are close neighbors with interconnected futures. Australian Foreign Minister the Hon Senator Penny Wong i...