The government has no duty of care over Torres Strait Islander people to protect them from climate change, the Federal Court has ruled – rejecting a landmark attempt to have the court intervene in climate policy.

The class action case, brought by Torres Strait Islander elders Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai in 2021, argued that the government had a duty of care over islander residents and was failing to protect them from the serious harms of climate change due to inadequate emission reduction targets and adaptation responses.