Face of Nation : Prime Minister Scott Morrison is due to arrive at the Pacific Islands Forum where he will come face to face with leaders ready to debate his government’s approach to climate change. The prime minister will touchdown in Tuvalu’s capital of Funafuti on Wednesday afternoon, joining Minister for the Pacific Alex Hawke.
Mr Morrison is expected to have bilateral discussions with Vanuatu’s leader Charlot Salwai, New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern, Cook Islands head Henry Puna and Tuvalu’s Enele Sopoaga.
To coincide with his arrival the prime minister has announced $1.5 million for another 150 technical and vocational scholarships to help Pacific islanders looking for work. Mr Morrison will also launch an online platform that provides interactive labour market and skills data to help industries across the Pacific.
Australia’s approach to reducing emissions and reliance on coal has been under the spotlight at the leaders’ forum, with the smaller islands reiterating the existential threat they face from climate change.
The smaller islands want Australia to abandon its decision to use carryover credits towards the Paris agreement emissions reduction goal, but the federal government has stood firm against such calls. But it will be up to Mr Morrison to explain his commitment to the carryover credits when he holds bilateral talks with Pacific leaders, particularly with prime minister of host nation Tuvalu, Mr Sopoaga.
Although the Tuvaluan welcomed an Australian commitment of $500 million over five years for climate resilience projects in the Pacific, he said it didn’t give Mr Morrison a free pass on other issues.
“No matter how much money you put on the table, it doesn’t give you the excuse not to do the right thing, which is cutting down your emissions, including not opening your coal mines,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
