Speech to the 11th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation

INTRODUCTION Distinguished colleagues, dear friends. It’s a pleasure to be here with you in Noumea, at a time when cooperation in the Pacific has never been more important. As well as being neighbours, and island nations – we also all share responsibility for the health of our ocean and environment.

It’s a sad truth that our region is highly vulnerable to the Triple Planetary Crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. But the Pacific are also leaders in how to meet these challenges. Because in the Pacific, we know that when we act for the ocean and for nature, embracing Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge, we act for the climate and the future wellbeing of our people.

CLIMATE CHANGE Today’s meeting of course follows last week’s successful Pacific Islands Forum, where leaders reaffirmed that climate change remains the single greatest threat to the security, livelihoods and wellbeing of Pacific peoples. Australia is determined to play our role meeting this threat – significantly reducing our emissions, decarbonising our economy and partnering with Pacific nations to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

It’s why the Australian Prime Minister last week committed to continue supporting the great work of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through a five-year, $25 million grant, to advance shared climate and environmental priorities. We know the Pacific, especially the Western Pacific, is likely to experience severe impacts of El Niño over the next six to 12 months.

Through the Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific, Australia’s scientific and weather services will continue to work closely with our Pacific colleagues to provide a range of supports to help with early warning information, preparedness and decision-making. BIODIVERSITY LOSS Of course, one consequence of climate change is biodiversity loss. It’s what prompted, almost four years ago, nearly 200 countries to adopt the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

In which the world laid out an ambitious agenda to turn the tide on extinctions and habitat loss. In Australia, we have lifted our effort to restore damaged and degraded landscapes, through our Strategy for Nature. Our key focus has been Target 3 of the Framework – protecting 30 percent of our land and 30 percent of our ocean by the year 2030.

We’re making good progress on our land target, and I’m proud to say we have already exceeded the target for protecting our ocean. And there’s scope to extend this protection more broadly across the Pacific and onto the high seas through the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty, also known as the BBNJ. Australia was proud to join the First Movers initiative, to champion the first generation of high seas marine protected areas.

And I’m delighted to say we are now ready to ratify the BBNJ, after legislation passed the Australian Parliament. We’re very keen to work together towards protecting areas in our region, and I look forward to progressing those discussions today. Australia also recognises, as do many Pacific nations, the need to sustainably manage 100 percent of our ocean.

We’ve nearly finalised our Sustainable Ocean Plan, a commitment we made as a member of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, along with Palau, Fiji, and France. The plan will help to support our growing ocean economy, and work with other countries to address key challenges that impact the health and resilience of the ocean, including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in our region.

It’s really pleasing to say that our work alongside Pacific countries and New Zealand against IUU fishing has been world-leading. We thank all our partners in that effort. We play a key role as a maritime surveillance partner in the region, including through the delivery of Guardian-class Patrol Boats to Pacific Island countries.

Australia is also keen to share the knowledge we have built, as home to some of the best managed fisheries in the world. As an example of that work, in 2024, we saw the southern bluefin tuna removed from the threatened species list in Australia as numbers increased. Whales are another species integral to healthy marine ecosystems, and their conservation is a shared international responsibility.

Australia will be hosting and chairing the 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission later this month and I look forward to seeing many of your countries represented there. The event will be an important opportunity to work together to ensure whale populations continue to recover and thrive for future generations. CORAL REEFS As those in this room know, a significant portion of the Pacific’s maritime area is home to coral reefs.

Aside from being an important habitat for native species, they are also an important food source, employer, tourism attraction and reduce flood risk for coastal populations. Australia remains committed to supporting global efforts to build the resilience of coral reef ecosystems, which are under significant pressure. Last December, we joined the Commitment to Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs.

We will strengthen monitoring and reporting. We will support local stewardship and help mobilise new sources of global finance to support coral reef conservation and resilience. At home, Federal and State Governments have invested more than $5 billion in the last decade to protect and restore our precious Great Barrier Reef.

Through strong partnerships, I’m confident we can extend this success story across the Pacific. PLASTIC POLLUTION Lastly, I want to reaffirm Australia’s commitment to end plastic pollution. I know that we are working together to reduce marine plastic litter through our $16 million Pacific Ocean Litter Project.

And Australia will continue to share our technical knowledge to help Pacific nations to tackle waste and pollution. Great progress managing hazardous waste is also being made in the region under the Waigani Convention. This is important because we need an effective and meaningful treaty to address the plastic pollution crisis globally.

Of course, much of this work will gain more attention next month, when Australia and the Pacific deliver a pre-COP that will amplify Pacific voices in the lead up to COP31 in Türkiye. Australia is working alongside Türkiye to ensure Pacific priorities shape the Action Agenda. This includes enhancing access to climate finance and elevating the Ocean-climate nexus – matters I know are priorities for the Pacific.

I’m so pleased we have the chance today to share knowledge and experience with each other. So that the whole region has a strong and sustainable future ahead. The Pacific should be viewed not as a region of vulnerability, but as a source of global ocean and environmental leadership, innovation and practical solutions.

And I look forward to continuing to work alongside you in that pursuit. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.