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Two more repatriation flights for Australians stranded in New Caledonia are being planned for Saturday, as civil unrest in the French territory continues.
Seven people have died since riots over proposed electoral changes broke out last week – the situation inflamed further after a policeman shot and killed a protester on Friday.
It followed a visit to Noumea by the French President Emmanuel Macron, who has promised to delay changes to the voting laws in a bid to ease tensions in the Pacific territory.
In a post on social media platform X, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the extra flights to bring Australians home on Saturday.
“Two more Australian government assisted-departure flights from New Caledonia are planned for today,” Senator Wong said.
“We continue to help Australians outside of Noumea to travel to the capital, and we are making plans for additional flights onwards to Australia for tomorrow.”
She urged Australians who wanted to leave New Caledonia, but had not yet registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to do so as soon as possible.
Australia’s Consul-General in New Caledonia, Annelise Young said 48 Australians and their families had been brought to Noumea from other islands and remote parts of the territory.
On Tuesday, 108 people were flown from New Caledonia to Brisbane on two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) planes – among them Australian citizens and tourists from other countries.
The following day, another 103 Australians and their family members managed to leave the territory on a flight run by the French government.
Another 95 Australians and family members arrived in Brisbane on Friday night on board two RAAF flights.
The latest flights are expected to arrive in Brisbane on Saturday evening.
Macron’s promise to delay electoral changes
French President Emmanuel Macron promised to delay any changes to the electoral laws, off the back of his trip to New Caledonia.
“I vow not to force the reform through to try, for the next few weeks, to give appeasement and dialogue a chance, and to do that with due process,” he told broadcaster France TV La Premiere.
“It’s not a blank cheque because we can’t accept violence and we can’t give up on everything, that’s not legitimate and it’s not what our fellow citizens want.
“But we shouldn’t consider that it’s nothing either.”
President Macron said he wanted local leaders to come up with an alternative to his government’s proposal, which would have allowed recent arrivals to New Caledonia the right to vote in local elections.
The move sparked the anger from the local population, who feared it would weaken their influence on the territory’s affairs.
Mr Macron warned that no progress would be made as long as the rioting continued.
“What I ask for, immediately, is for roadblocks and flashpoints to be lifted,” he said.
“Something happened that is a kind of outburst of violence with a rise in resentment and sometimes extreme racism. We can’t give in to that.
“I think our responsibility — my responsibility and this commitment to come here, be open and say, we’re restoring order but we also want appeasement while calling on everyone to be a part of this, despite the exhaustion — I think that’s our common responsibility.
“We need to restore order to move forward. The longer it lasts, the harder it will be to backtrack.”
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