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Strategic Analysis Australia’s Michael Shoebridge says Australia is on the “wrong track” with the Solomon Islands and the South Pacific.

“With the Solomons in particular we’ve got in the embarrassing situation of trying to outbid Beijing on who can support an anti-democratic leader called Mr Sogavare,” he told Sky News host Andrew Bolt.

“We need to stop trying to compete to be his security partner of choice.

“We could really use South Pacific workers in our economy and they could really use that kind of employment instead of aid.”