Vanuatu's Charlot Salwai. Photo: RNZ/Koroi Hawkins
Australia and Vanuatu have agreed to deepen co-operation on labour mobility.
This will increase employment opportunities for Vanuatu's workers in Australia and help fill critical labour gaps in Australia's rural and regional areas.
It's one of the outcomes of today's meeting between the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull in Canberra.
They also agreed to enhance official police-to-police cooperation, with Australia to provide assistance to recruit and train 200 new police officers by 2020.
Australia will also refurbish the existing Police College in Port Vila and build leadership capacity in Vanuatu's police force.
In other outcomes, the two governments agreed to commence negotiations on a Bilateral Security Treaty on common security interests.
These include humanitarian assistance and disaster response, maritime surveillance and border security, police and defence cooperation.
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Photo: AFP
A release from Mr Turnbull's office says Australia will provide technical assistance to support Vanuatu to develop its first National Security Strategy.
This strategy is to support Vanuatu's vision for a 'stable, sustainable and prosperous Vanuatu', in line with its National Sustainable Development Plan.
"We are furthering our cyber security partnership with AU$400,000 in support to strengthen the capacity of Vanuatu's Computer Emergency Response Team and develop Vanuatu's cyber policy and legislation" he said.
"Lastly, we will continue our long-standing support for Vanuatu's education sector with up to AU$19.5 million to promote better education outcomes for ni-Vanuatu boys and girls.
"The funding package will help improve school enrolment, literacy and numeracy rates, strengthen teacher training, provide scholarships and develop and roll out a new curriculum."