Climate red flag
Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama wants Jacinda Ardern to join him in ‘‘demanding’’ serious climate action from our neighbours, a clear dig at Australia.
But our leader has no plans to bring up climate change with her Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, when she meets him this week, despite the country’s raging domestic debate over climate targets and huge coal exports.
Ardern is in Fiji for a three-day visit, her first to the nation.
Bainimarama, speaking at a joint press conference after a bilateral meeting between the pair yesterday, congratulated Ardern on New Zealand’s Zero Carbon Act and said he could count on New Zealand to be an ally in international climate talks.
’’Fiji is proud to join you on the right side of history by passing our own climate change bill this year which lays out our pathway to net zero emissions,’’ Bainimarama said.
‘‘The window is quickly closing for the rest of the international community – including our neighbours – to match our worldleading efforts.’’
There is currently a major political debate in Australia concerning climate targets. The opposition Labor Party has exceeded New Zealand’s ambitions with a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, a target the Australian government has ridiculed as ‘‘reckless’’.
Ardern was more diplomatic in her statements on climate, saying New Zealand would be partners with Fiji on the issue.
Speaking to media after the press conference, Ardern said Australia’s climate change policy was a matter for Australia and she would not be raising the issue with Morrison.
‘‘They know New Zealand’s view, they can see what we are doing on climate change, we have had conversations about our different policies. But this idea that somehow me going in and wagging my finger is going to change another country’s domestic policies is not an accurate reflection of the way any of us do politics.’’
Also discussed at the bilateral meeting was policing co-operation between Fiji and New Zealand, particularly to stop the drug trade and address transnational crime.
Ardern discussed an $11 million package to help Fiji upskill its police force, which included a new drug laboratory for prosecutions, due to open in May.
Ardern is in Fiji for three days ahead of a brief trip to Sydney.
Fiji has literally laid out the red carpet for Ardern, with many billboards welcoming her to the capital of Suva and multiple frontpage newspaper articles.
Most of her media schedule was read out on the evening news and traffic was cleared several times for her motorcade to travel through the city.