QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:59): We are making transformational breakthroughs in partnership with the Pacific in the region. That fundamentally begins with mutual respect and the recognition that we are all members of the Pacific family. That respect stands in contrast to the disrespect that we saw of the Pacific by the coalition over a decade.

People still remember when Mr Dutton and Mr Morrison joked about water lapping at the door. Of course, we also have the coalition—the current Liberals—wanting to team up with One Nation, who disrespect Pacific leaders with slurs. Put simply, a stronger, safer, sovereign Pacific is good for Australia, and it is good for our region.

That is why we have agreements like the Pukpuk alliance with Papua New Guinea, the Falepili union with Tuvalu, the Nauru-Australia Treaty and now the Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu.