Human development in the Pacific is going slower than in any part of the world," he said."For Australia's part, our focus right now is engaging with the countries in the Pacific so we're their partner of choice in every respect, including development but also including security."The defence minister spoke with the ABC just ahead of a visit to Canberra by the new prime minister of Solomon Islands, Matthew Wale, who has previously been a sharp China critic.Foreign Minister Penny Wong recently flagged that Australia would be open to upgrading its strategic and security agreements with Solomon Islands, but Mr Marles would not be drawn on whether the two countries were contemplating a new pact."We're optimistic about how we can take the relationship forward … and so we want to continue that work," he said."Matthew Wale has been a very good friend of Australia."Mr Marles also would not be drawn on whether Australia believed Mr Wale should publish the text of the Solomon Islands–China security agreement, which the new prime minister championed as opposition leader after it was signed by the then-Sogavare government.And he declined to say whether the government had given a final sign-off to the Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu after Jotham Napat's cabinet gave a green light to a diluted version of the pact."When we're ready to announce, we'll announce But we're confident we'll get there with Vanuatu," he said.