Foreign Minister Penny Wong is joining a Pacific leaders retreat in Fiji after inking a new agreement with Kiribati.
Australia will scale up security and economic co-operation with Kiribati after Senator Wong signed a "nurturing the partnership" memorandum of understanding with President Taneti Maamau.
The new agreement includes upgrading the Kanton wharf.
Concerns were raised in 2021 after China provided a grant to conduct a feasibility study on upgrading the airstrip on the remote island.
The island sits roughly halfway between Hawaii and Fiji and housed a military aircraft base in World War II.
The Kiribati government said at the time the rehabilitation was for "civilian use only".
A second patrol boat will be provided by Australia in an effort to increase maritime security and surveillance while broader law enforcement, including peacekeeping and cyber security, will also be targeted.
Australia will also work to increase climate resilience efforts as Kiribati's islands face rising sea levels.
"We hope that the MoU that we've just signed will provide a significant leg-up to future areas of co-operation," Mr Maamau said.
Senator Wong added, "We believe that ultimately our security and your security, our prosperity and your prosperity, our resilience and your resilience, are intertwined".
Tensions were strained between Canberra, Wellington and Tarawa when Australian and New Zealand judges in the Pacific nation were stood down and the rule of law was effectively suspended with no court resource available to challenge government decisions.
The appeals court quashed the government's attempt to deport Australian judge David Lambourne.
The attorney-general was then installed as the nation's top judge after the New Zealand chief justice was stood down after quashing the deportation order.
Both Senator Wong and Mr Maamau will be attending the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Fiji.
