Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Jagajaga for this important motion, because Australia is proud to be a longstanding and deeply engaged member of our Pacific family across the three regions of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. We have strong relationships with countries and peoples across these three regions, which we saw senior Australian leaders reaffirm immediately following the election of the Albanese government. In the government's first 100 days, the Prime Minister, the foreign minister and other ministers visited Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. This sent a clear message about Australia's contribution in the region as a partner of choice and about our desire to be reliable, to turn up, to show respect, to listen, and to be transparent and open. These visits signalled that Australia will be an honest partner on issues that the Pacific cares about and will respond to shared challenges like climate change, COVID-19 and development.

The government is working hard to repair some of the reputational damage done by those opposite since 2013. When in office, the opposition undermined Australia's standing in the Pacific by cutting aid by $11 billion in 2015 and by dismissing the Pacific's vital interests on climate change. Who can forget former prime minister Scott Morrison, current Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton and others laughing at jokes about Pacific island countries being swallowed up by the effects of climate change? This government, the Albanese government, is bringing new energy, respect and resources to the region to help build a stronger Pacific family.

We recognise that climate change is the single biggest threat to the security, livelihoods and wellbeing of many of our island-nation neighbours. It is an urgent global challenge, and it is one in which we will play our part to help tackle. Towards this end, our government will increase support to the Pacific through a new Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership for climate related infrastructure and energy projects in the Pacific and Timor-Leste. We'll also increase official development assistance by $525 million over the next four years, including to address climate change adaptation and resilience.

The recent Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting in July welcomed Australia's renewed commitment to Pacific climate change priorities. At this meeting, Australia joined Pacific leaders in declaring that the region is facing a climate emergency. We also stressed the urgency of lifting our ambition to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Pacific leaders welcomed our interest in partnering with the Pacific to host a future UN climate change conference.

I commend Pacific island countries for being world leading in their commitment to addressing climate change. They're on the front line and they're facing more extreme-weather events, such as cyclones and flooding, and rising oceans. These will have a direct impact on people's access to fresh water and on major essential industries such as fisheries, forestry, agriculture and tourism, all of which could seriously suffer from the effects of climate change. I'm proud to be part of a government that pledges to listen to and to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Pacific family.

Australia is also strengthening cultural and sporting ties. Sports diplomacy can play to Australia's strengths in the Pacific by leveraging our shared love of various codes like rugby union, NRL and cricket. After meeting with PNG's Prime Minister Marape in July, Prime Minister Albanese suggested potentially creating an NRL team for PNG, possibly including the wider Pacific. As the Prime Minister said, rugby league is one of Australia's proudest legacies in Papua New Guinea. As I'm sure you'd agree, Mr Deputy Speaker Buchholz, rugby union is much loved in many of our key Pacific countries. I want to congratulate Rugby Australia, who's got the women's A team going to Fiji in January next year. As well as cultural, church and historical connections, sport is among the visceral ties between Australia and our Pacific family.

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