Soldiers from Europe around the streets of one of Australia's closest neighbors.
We can see there's a look if you're still on from six pm to six am. But into the night you can still hear gunshots and you know, clash beating police and the youth and the road blobs.
This is Jimmy Nahouna speaking to us from New Caledonia.
The police go through, clear the roads, but the next minute the youth put the road blocks back on, the barricades back on, and things will start all over again.
Back in the nineteen eighties he manned roadblocks for the country's biggest indigenous independence movement, and now he's the spokesperson.
We have always been marginalized in the society here. I was kicked out of college basically was because I was, you know, part of that youth awakening to the connector struggle.
But this year seeing roadblocks and straight battles resumed, and Jimmy says they're still happening every night.
Even up to to last night. We can still hear con shorts and clash between even this morning. Some parts of them are still not accessible, you know by roads. I think media did not look to the road causes or what you know, what makes this violence, you know, erupt and like I'm saying, this goes back, you know, many years and you know even generation. It is a political situation, needs a political issue, and it needs a political solution to itself.
From Schwartz Media, I'm Ashland McGee. This is seven am. Many Australians have an idea of New Caledonia two hours way by playing luxurious, sprawling, hotel complexes, crystal clear beaches, you get the drill. But riots in the capitol, a state of emergency and the intervention of the French military have been remind us that the future of New Caledonia is a fraud political question sitting on our doorstep. So what's unleashed the unrest?
How are we involved?
And why are the French trying to still hold on to a Pacific nation? Today journalist Nick McClellan, who's covered the Pacific for decades, on the tension that's been brewing and the French president's pr stumble. It's Tuesday, June four, Neick, How are things right now in New Caledonia.
Things are a bit quieter than the last two or three weeks. Starting on the thirteenth of May. Young people and they were especially young, Many teenagers were out on the streets at night rioting. There's been major damage to businesses, to public buildings, to infrastructure, a terrible blow to the economy. You know, supermarkets looted, many buildings burnt down. As we speak, seven people have been killed, and it's an enormous trauma
for people living in the capitol. But they're still underlying tensions. The core problems that have been dividing supporters and opponents of independence are still unresolved, and President Macron's flying visit to New Caledonia hasn't really addressed core issues raised by the Kannak independence movement.
It's pretty incredible scenes, Ryan.
Many people were surprised by the explosion of conflict. Frankly, I wasn't. I've been visited in New Caledonia for some forty years.
You know.
In many ways, the colonial history of New Caledonia parallels that of Australia.
Down there, south of the Solomon's by some nine hundred miles and about one thousand miles east of Sydney, Australia lies.
New Caledonia was originally a penal colony, later there was settlement. Kannak Land, the land of indigenous Melanesian people, was taken. They were driven up into the hills and the west coast of the main island was used for cattle farming for years.
The French colonial government enjoyed New Caledonia's rich export.
Then people discovered nickel. New Caledonia has an estimated twenty percent of the world's reserves of nickel. To the whole mountain chain on the main island is really full of strategic metals and minerals, and so indentured laborers were brought so that long history of settlement and migration of colonial policy really disadvantaged indigenous Kannak. They were pushed into tribal reserves. Kannak and indeed women and indentured laborers didn't get the
vote till after the Second World War. So there's been a long campaign by indigenous peoples, including revolts, saying that they wanted to control their own land.
She didn't do.
The Kanak people decided to fight.
We had been exploited for too long.
We wanted to get.
Our land back.
We decided to occupy our land and force the French government to talk about independence.
In the nineteen eighties, there were armed clashes between the French military, independence activists right wing militias referred to obliquely as les Animore. The events the Independence Uprising lasted on and off for four years and cost at least sixty lives. There was a series of peace negotiations and talks in nineteen eighty eight nineteen ninety eight, and the agreement in ninety eight called the numer Courts set out a twenty
five year transition towards a decision on political status. The three referendums were held at the end of this twenty five year transition. The first two showed very strong support for independence. Forty three percent of people voted yes for independence. The next vote, in twenty twenty, forty seven percent nearly voted in favor of independence. Obviously not a majority, but you can see the trend people were moving towards a change.
The Pacific island of New Caledonia has voted in a third and final referendum on independence from France.
The third referendum was rushed through in the middle of the COVID pandemic. It was botched by the French authorities, so the vote dropped from forty seven percent in favor of independence to three point five percent.
The French President Emmanuel McCrone welcomed the results in a televised address.
He said, tonight France is more beautiful because New Caledonia has decided to stay here.
And since that time, the independence movement has been very critical about the lack of impartiality by the French state.
Doctor referendum for us is illegitimate. It's politically illegitimate because indigenous people, indigenous people, as the colonized people of this country not take part in data referendum on Chefely demolition.
They see President Macron and key ministers as biased against the call for decolonization, the call for independence.
So then fast forward to May thirteen. What was it on that particular day that sparked the unrest.
The French government has been preparing a constitutional amendment to change key provisions of the nemir Acord, particularly around voting rights. The nemir coord created this notion that indigenous can act long term residents. The descendants of the convicts, the indentured laborers and others born and bred in New Caledonia should determine the future of the country. They should have priority over local employment and they should be the ones to
vote for the local political institutions. Now, France basically wants to change the rules. They want to expand the number of people who would qualify to be new Caledonian citizens and therefore were to be able to vote in local elections, and their talk is under President Marcrol's proposal to add twenty five thousand people to the voting roles. Now, it's a country of only two hundred and seventy thousand people,
that's about fourteen point five percent of the electorate. Most of those people are French Nationals who are resident there but can't currently vote. Most of them hard to tell, but most of them, I would say, vote against independence. So not surprisingly, the Independence Coalition feels that France is rigging the rules, just like they did during the twenty twenty one referendum, and the vote that went to the French National Assembly in Paris was on the thirteenth of May.
We've been holding peaceful marches and protests around the country calling on the French government on Macron government to withdraw this electloriform bill.
Kanak protesters have been protesting peacefully for months on the thirteenth of April, there was a rally of more than thirty thousand independent supporters, as I say, in a country of two hundred and seventy thousand people.
And there was never any ballence. People were just turning up and you know, and joining de Martin to demos. The families and people are from none communities.
Saying don't do this, don't do this without a comprehensive agreement on the ground. Paris hasn't listened and they are reaping the consequences of their failure to engage properly with indigenous people.
After the break. What a small country in eastern Europe has to do with this conflict in the South Pacific. So Nick explained to me why France and Emmanuel Macron as the president, why are they holding on so tight? Why are they so determined to keep New Caledonia as part of the republic.
He flew literally halfway around the world sixteen seven hundred kilometers and flew back again eighteen hours later to capture the headlines.
I want to dear, my intention and the government's intention, is to stand by the population and to bring back peace, calm and security as quickly as possible.
Understandably, he called for calm, he called for an inter conflict, he called for dialogue, but he also talked about the need to restore Republican order.
In the coming hours and days, massive new operations will be scheduled where necessary, and Republican order in its entirety will be re established because there is no other choice now.
Indigenous Kannak people have very poor educational standards, qualifications, opportunities, employment levels in comparison to non Kanak people, particularly European people. In New Caledonia compest prison in Nemea, more than ninety percent of inmates are Kanak, And so the young people who've been out on the streets see the wealthy southern suburbs, the yacht harbors, the public servants and obscene salaries and say, you know, this is the Republican order that you're protecting.
So it's a particularly tone deaf comment. But he wasn't talking to Kanak. He was talking to settlers the descendants thereof, to non Kannak communities who are understandably aggrieved by the terrible destruction, the loss of jobs, the damage to the economy. But his flowery retric at the meetings really haven't resolved the underlying problem and ultimately there can be no solution
without the Kannak people. France says it's a pacific nation because it has three dependencies in the region New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wilson Futuna. It claims sovereignty over seven million square kilometers of exclusive economic zone. That's an enormous resource that France claims. You know, France's status as a global power is based on it maintaining an empire that was first created in the nineteenth century.
Nick inspired of what's at stake for France here, Makron left New Caledonia with you know, obviously no real progress made and instead of addressing the real issues that are being raised there. Insteady's government has come out swinging against Azerbaijan. Is Azerbaijan trying to take advantage of the political unrest in New Caledonia. That's what France's Interior minister alleges.
What's that about.
There's a thing in politics called the dead cat. When you want to distract attention from something, you throw a dead cat on the table. Can I put to you that Azerbaijan is France's dead cat?
And I regret that some of the Caledonian independence leaders made a deal with Azerbaijan that is indisputable and it gives an idea of what democracy would look like if we listen to certain leaders.
Granted there have been connections between Kannak independence people and the Azerbaijan government. I would put to you that the discussion around Azerbaijan, while there is a kernel of truth in it, is a distraction from the core issue.
Nick, we are one of New Caledonia's closest neighbors. What's the Australian government's response.
Being, Australia is in a picle at the moment. As part of her outreach to all Pacific Island countries, Penny Wong has been actively engaging with New CALEDONIAE Saluer. She was the first foreign minister from Australia ever to address the Congress of New Caledonia in April last year. So the government is trying to reach out to integrate New Caledonia into regional affairs.
It is a great honor to be the first Australian foreign minister, indeed the first Australian minister to address the Congress of New Caledonia.
But at the same time successive governments, both Coalition and Labor in Australia have been backing France's Indo Pacific strategy. France is seen as a Western power useful in the mobilization against Chinese influence in the region, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Miles has been at the forefront of a series of agreements with the French government to work very closely together.
France matters because they are effectively our closest neighbor, I mean, the closest overseas population to where we're all sitting in this room today is in France. It's new mea and France see us as a critical partner as.
Well, and this is a sort of tension in Australian policy. They're engaged with Indo Pacific strategies with France, but they've also got a Pacific Island strategy what's often dubbed the Blue Pacific agendas around development, around poverty, around climate, climate climate. You know, there's a whole lot of practical things that could be done to help improve the country.
So what's our next step when we keep calling on this hele chloroform to be withdrawn and for a high level independent mission to be sent to New cal dinner from Paris.
The independence movement, the fl and KS has called for a high level mediation mission. You know, they're calling for high level dignitaries, indeed not just from France, but from the region and internationally to participate in this talanoah. As they say, in the Pacific there talking through of these tensions, trying to calm tensions, create a dialogue that's respectful, that takes time. In the Pacific way.
Now what you can see is regret about ogitation is that you know, people already have difficulties emitting. You know, their needs are now the most impacted by this situation, while on the other side of town, people are still living their lives as if nothing's happening in this country. I'm going to the beach, going to restaurants, you know, having access to basic needs. The other part of this town people are struggling to find food.
I think one of the most important things is that we need to listen to people on the ground, regardless whether they support independence or opposed it. We need more sustained engagement with Kannak voices, with other New Caledonian voices to understand what are their priorities, their hopes, their aspirations.
Nick, thanks so much of your time today.
Thank you kindly.
Also in the news today, Australia's minimum wage and award wages will increase by three point seventy five percent, according to an announcement from the Fair Work Commission. The decision, which will come into effect from the first of July, will see the national minimum wage increase to twenty four dollars and ten cents an hour, and the Immigration Minister has admitted he was wrong to claim that surveillance drones
were monitoring people released from immigration to tention. Andrew Giles made that assertion last week while explaining why a cohort of people released from indefinite detention that included convicted criminals weren't required to wear an electronic ankle monitor or observe a curfew. Drones are being used to capture footage of their accommodation, but the Minister's now released a statement saying that Border Force isn't using drones to track the individuals.
I'm Ashlin McGhee. That's all from the seven amteam for today. Thanks for your company and we'll see you again tomorrow.