Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

We are looking beyond the immediate health security and safety impacts of COVID-19. We're engaging on economic support with PNG, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Nauru, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Timor-Leste. Their small island economies are heavily dependent on tourism and commodity exports. They're particularly vulnerable to the economic impact of COVID-19.

The Australian infrastructure financing facility for the Pacific will promote economic recovery when that point in time is reached by delivering infrastructure focused on jobs and growth and including health infrastructure. We also have new visa measures in place to enable workers in Australia, under the Pacific Labour Scheme and the Seasonal Worker Programme who are unable to return home, to stay here for up to 12 months. They'll be able to support themselves and their families at home, which is pivotal in times of economic difficulty, while also supporting key businesses and industries here in Australia.