Australia's relationship with one of its closest neighbours has been bolstered by the calming of political ructions in Solomon Islands.
Matthew Wale was due to face a motion of no confidence early this week, only for it to be withdrawn on the eve of parliamentary debate.
Manasseh Maelanga, Mr Wale's home affairs minister brought on the motion a week earlier, sabotaging the prime minister's plans to attend the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Palau.
The leadership style of Mr Wale, who only became prime minister in May, was the central issue behind the motion, with Mr Maelanga alleging Mr Wale did not collaborate with his cabinet.
After heading off the potentially-ruinous vote and a series of ministerial changes, Mr Wale said he would change his style but not his work.
"I have learned a lot: to listen more and to consult more," he told Solomon Star newspaper.
"But I am not slowing the speed of change because change must happen and should have happened many years ago."
The result is a boost for Canberra, given Mr Wale's embrace of Australia during his short tenure, ending a long spell of colder relations.
Since 2014 - with the exception of an 18-month break from mid-2017 - Solomon Islands had been led by Manasseh Sogavare and his former ally Jeremiah Manele, considered sceptics of Australian foreign policy.
In the four months since taking the role through a no-confidence motion of his own, Mr Wale quickly moved to accept Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's offer to negotiate a security treaty.
Talks on the pact occurred in Adelaide last month and continued in Palau between Australia's Pacific Minister Pat Conroy and Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Rick Houenipwela.
In Palau, Mr Conroy talked of the Pacific region standing "at a crossroads" as it deals with "the headwinds of geostrategic competition".
Privately, other Australian officials admitted nerves around the political instability, given the threat to long-coveted deeper security ties.
Also on Monday, the United States announced the return of the Peace Corps to Solomon Islands after the program - which sends American volunteers abroad - after it was closed in 2000.
Motions of no confidence are commonplace in Solomon Islands, where voters typically elect MPs from a string of parties who often switch allegiances.
Since independence in 1980, just three elected prime ministers have made it to the subsequent election without losing office, and none have been re-elected.
After the turmoil, Mr Wale - who replaced his sacked finance minister Gordon Darcy Lilo with Rexon Ramofafia - claimed his coalition had 31 MPs in the 50-seat parliament.
Australian Associated Press
