Scott Morrison downplays Fiji’s rebuke over climate change, Australian coal

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has downplayed a strong rebuke from Fiji’s Prime Minister over Australia’s focus on coal during a diplomatic dinner.

Scott Morrison has downplayed a strong rebuke from Fiji’s Prime Minister over Australia’s focus on coal.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama made the comments at an official dinner in Fiji last night to mark a newly announced partnership between the two nations.

In a speech to the dinner, Mr Bainimarama said the only way to guarantee the survival of Pacific island countries was for Australia to shift away from fossil fuels.

“I urged your predecessor repeatedly to honour his commitment to clean energy,” Mr Bainimarama said.

“From where we are sitting, we cannot imagine how the interests of any single industry can be placed above the welfare of Pacific peoples and vulnerable people in the world over.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivers a keynote address at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. Picture: AAP

“Rising seas threaten whole communities, forcing them to endure the trauma of relocating from land they’ve endured for generations.

“Fijian farmers are watching their crops perish in soil that has been spoiled by the heightened salinity that is associated with sea level rise.”

Mr Bainimarama said the evidence of climate change was clear in the disappearing coastlines in Bangladesh and worsening flooding in the United States.

“And in Australia as well, where soaring temperatures have reached record highs in several major cities just this week,” he said.

“This cannot be written off as a difference of opinion.

“Consensus from the scientific community is clear and the existential threat posed to Pacific island countries is certain.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attends a Traditional Ceremony of Welcome with the Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama. Picture: AAP

The Fiji Prime Minister’s remarks come after heated debate in Australian politics last year over coal and clean energy which culminated with Malcolm Turnbull being rolled in a leadership spill and the Coalition’s National Energy Guaruntee being abandoned.

Conservatives led by Tony Abbott had threatened to cross the floor over the NEG, sparking the events which led to Mr Turnbull’s ousting in August.

Mr Morrison responded to Mr Bainimarama’s rebuke this morning, saying Australia was already pursuing emissions reduction policies “in a way that I believe is consistent with what the Prime Minister is expecting of Australia”.

“We have made solid commitments when it comes to emissions reduction, and we have been keeping them and we will keep them,” he said, adding that Australia had invested hundreds of millions into climate change resilience works in Fiji and the Pacific more broadly.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten said the incident was embarrassing and blasted the Coalition for “doing nothing on climate change”.

Mr Shorten also recalled Mr Morrison “brandishing coal like some lucky charm in parliament” in Question Time in 2017, saying it wasn’t a good look to Fijians who might have seen the story online.

Scott Morrison famously brought a lump of coal into Question Time in early 2017 amid an ongoing energy debate, saying it was nothing to be afraid of. Picture: AAP

“Coal is part of our energy mix going forward, of course it is,” Mr Shorten said.

“But the rest of the world, millions of Australians, I [and] Labor know that the current Government are not interested in climate change.

“They can’t even agree if it’s caused by human activity or not.”

During his speech last night, Mr Morrison praised Mr Bainimarama for Fiji’s global leadership on climate change.

“I pay respect in particular to Mr Bainimarama’s international leadership on climate change and oceans,” Mr Morrison said.

“You have heard him speak passionately about this evening and it was that same passion he took into the leadership of the COP process over the past 12 months.”

In Vanuatu on Wednesday, Mr Morrison promised Pacific nations Australia would directly fund projects tackling the impact of climate change.

But he said Vanuatu’s leaders had not asked Australia to do more to curb emissions.

- with Angus Livingston in Suva