The next government must wage a major public education campaign on China’s regional influence - and beyond

As an example, the much-trumpeted Telstra takeover of Digicel in the Pacific will cost the Australian taxpayer, as guarantor to Telstra's investment of around $A2 billion. That is easily our largest single "investment" in our region.

At the same time as this has been negotiated, China, driven by its influential embassy in PNG has been negotiating a $2 billion loan to fund the highly dubious Ramu 2 hydro project........negotiated with PNG Power, guaranteed by the PNG Government.

If we are going to "repel" China to any extent it is going to be costly.....and it needs to be comprehensive. It needs to cover Fiji, Vanuatu Tonga and Samoa, and hopefully eventually the Solomon Islands.

The Australian people need to be educated to embrace this agenda. A massive public education program is needed to achieve that.

The education program also needs to set out chapter and verse just how China exercises its influence in countries such as Sri Lanka, where the government that is down to around $70,000 in cash owes China around $6 billion for a major port project and other infrastructure.

The same story is to be found in any number of African countries.

It is not a matter of scaring the people, it is a matter of educating them to prepare them for a much more costly engagement. 

I am confident that properly explained the public will embrace it. China's expansion is high in the public mind. Now is the time to capitalise on that.

The next government should embrace that realty - and capitalise on it immediately.