Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday, 29 November, I was honoured to meet with some of the brightest and most passionate young activists from Australia and the Pacific region. They were at Parliament House as part of the Pacific Australian Emerging Leaders Summit, coordinated by Micah Australia and the Pacific Conference of Churches. These young activists shared with me their vision to see healthy environments, empowered young people and flourishing communities across the Pacific region. They told me that this vision will only be realised in full when communities enjoy self-determination and when no-one is left behind.

Young people in Australia and the Pacific are vital to the continuing development of their nation's environment, economy, society and culture. In Fiji, more than 60 per cent of the population are under-35. In the Solomon Islands, it is almost 75 per cent. It's a similar story against most Pacific nations. With such a high proportion of young people in the region, it is important for countries, like Australia, that seek to work in partnership with their Pacific family to listen deeply to and build on the strengths of these young people.

Ninety-four per cent of the Pacific delegates at the summit ranked climate change as an issue of high or extreme importance for their community; 92.6 per cent ranked 'preparing for natural disasters and their impact' as an issue of high or extreme importance for their community. The health of the environment is intimately connected to the lives, livelihoods and cultures of the Pacific people. For the Pacific people, the land, the sea and the ecosystem are part of their identity. Cultures, traditions and spirituality are all connected and affected by the environment. It's part of who our neighbours are.

In January this year, the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano in Tonga erupted. Semisi Kaufusi from Tonga courageously shared with me his personal story and lived experience of that event. Whole communities were left under a blanket of volcanic ash and mud from the tsunami that followed the eruption. For weeks, people were cut off from their loved ones abroad as the eruption severed critical data cables. Access to food, water and shelter was a challenge.

Iemaima Vaai, a Samoan living in Fiji, shared with me her story of climate induced displacement and relocation in Fiji. The Fijian government has identified 800 communities that are affected by climate change disaster. After years of consultations, Fiji's government has developed a national plan to relocate at least 42 coastal villages under threat from climate change.

Relocating communities involves so much more than simply rebuilding houses in a safer location. It involves providing the right conditions for people to rebuild their lives, such as access to services, community and physical infrastructure. To say it is a massive project is an understatement. Climate change has catastrophic impacts across the Pacific. It presents an existential threat to the cultures and communities in the Pacific to our neighbours.

According to Ashley Wild, one of my constituents, and Harriett Steenholdt, who attends a local church in my electorate—and who were both representing Australia in the delegation—we can help to see the vision of healthy environments realised, through the Pacific region, by drawing on the ancient wisdom and knowledge of Indigenous peoples that stretches back thousands of years. This includes the ancient wisdom of Australia's First Nations peoples, the oldest continuous culture in the world, who must be given a seat at the table when engaging with and building partnerships with the Pacific.

We need to ensure bilateral support for climate action in the Pacific and make sure it's driven by local needs and priorities, focusing on the most vulnerable countries and communities and promoting inclusion and aid that reaches the ground level. We need to take meaningful action towards a safe transition to renewable energy and engage with multinational and international human rights, instruments and mechanisms to ensure cooperation.

I thank the delegation, deeply, for meeting with me yesterday, for sharing so generously their stories and their hope and vision for healthy environments, empowered young people and flourishing communities. I congratulate them for all of their efforts and look forward to meeting them again. Keep up the good work.