TV news show Gowrie-Smith persuaded last August into producing a segment on the sale of the Conflict Group. But without his approval and much to his chagrin, the prime-time show spun news of the sale into a national security threat. “Why would China bother to schmooze its way into the region when it could buy these islands and set up shop right off Australia’s coast? If the Solomon Islands’ security pact looks ominous from 1600km away, then this opportunity should scare every Aussie,” A Current Affair ’s reporter warned as images of Chinese missiles, troops and fighter jets splashed across the screen. Gowrie-Smith accuses the show of “totally over-dramatising” the segment to score rating points in the face of Australian viewers’ phobia of China. “I don’t care about the nationality of whoever buys the islands,” he says, “so long as they demonstrate they will care for the community, care for the islands and maintain the turtle conservation activities.” He adds: “It is not my intention to sell to the Chinese Communist Party. And while technically and legally I don’t need the PNG Government’s approval of the buyer, I am consulting them and if it looked like I was selling it to the Chinese Communist Party, it would cause a major political stir.” But the multimillionaire also used A Current Affair to suggest Canberra buy the Conflict Group as a strategic bulwark against China, noting various emails he had sent to Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong notifying her of the sale had gone unanswered. The ploy did not bear fruit. A week after the show aired, the suggestion that Canberra buys the islands was thrown out along with the bathwater by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “There are
Sunset drinks on Panasesa Island
over 500 [islands] in that area. That’s the fact, and one of the things that the government shouldn’t do, is do taxpayers’ real estate through the media,” the PM said during an interview on 2GB Radio in Sydney. The private-island brokers interviewed for this story could not say if the media ruckus Down Under has discounted the attractiveness of the Conflict Group as an investment. But two of three still hold they are well priced to sell. “There’s a scarcity of freehold islands in the South Pacific where there are no tribal rights to contend with,” says Barnett in
Phuket. The fact is it’s virtually impossible to find such pristine nature like this anywhere because there is not a lot of this kind of land for sale with perfectly intact biospheres. “It’s an amazing opportunity,” he says.
PNG Air flies from Port Moresby to Alotau three times per week For bookings: Call + 675 74112644
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VOLUME 34 2023
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