Earlier this month, Australia welcomed The Honourable Rick Houenipwela MP, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands. This was Prime Minister Houenipwela’s first official visit to Australia as Prime Minister.

In Canberra, Prime Minister Houenipwela received a Ceremonial Welcome at Parliament House and conducted bilateral talks with Prime Minister Turnbull. These talks focused on regional security, telecommunications and cyber security.

Prime Minister Houenipwela also met with Solomon Islands seasonal workers in Queensland and attended a roundtable on trade and investment opportunities.

During the visit, it was announced that Australia and Solomon Islands would jointly fund the construction of a domestic telecommunication cable network. This network will link Solomon Islands’ remote provinces to Honiara – bringing the economic and social benefits of high speed internet to the highly-dispersed population.

Prime Minister Houenipwela visited Brisbane, Bundaberg, Sydney and Canberra as part of his visit.

Further information on the outcomes of the visit can be found here.

Visit Flickr to view a selection of images from the visit.