Australia has a strong and longstanding relationship with Samoa. We are close partners in regional cooperation and are working together to further Samoa's development. As Pacific Islands Forum members, Australia and Samoa recognise that our respective national interests are served by a strong and enduring bilateral partnership and a peaceful, prosperous and resilient Pacific.
There are deep ties between our communities, especially through sport, education and church linkages, and over 98,000 people living in Australia identify as having Samoan ancestry.
A strong and enduring relationship
Guided by the Bilateral Partnership Arrangement signed by our respective Prime Ministers in March 2023, Ole Fala Folasia I Lo Ta Va, or, The Map that Guides Us; our partnership encompasses economic, security and development cooperation, and celebrates the interconnectedness of our peoples and cultures based on a long history of personal, community and institutional ties.
More about Samoa and Australia’s development partnership in Samoa.
Security cooperation
Our whole-of-government security partnerships through the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Australian Border Force (ABF), are building leadership and operational capacity in Samoa and within the region in policing, maritime and border security.
Australia is committed to supporting Samoa's security, including through the Defence Cooperation Program, the Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP) and the Samoa-Australia Police Partnership. Samoa’s new Guardian Class Patrol Boat Nafanua III, gifted through the PMSP arrived in Apia on 19 January 2024. The ADF will continue to build Samoa’s capability to police its borders and secure its exclusive economic zone, including fisheries. The AFP will continue to engage with the Samoa Police Service, building on 15 years of partnership, to strengthen core policing functions and bolster organisational leadership, management, and corporate capabilities, broadly and in priority areas (for example, addressing gender-based violence).
More about shared security in the Pacific
Strong community connections
Samoans and Australian have strong personal connections, developed through sport, church, educational linkages and Samoan communities in Australia. Initiatives such as PacificAus Sports and TeamUp, the Australian Volunteers Program, the New Colombo Plan, and the Australia Awards provide opportunities to deepen our connections.
