Australia-Tuvalu deal a major strategic play but Albanese must chase that goodwill at home

The flags of Australia and Tuvalu. The ‘Falepili Union’ is a major strategic play that China cannot offer. Picture: X

Anthony Albanese landed in the Cook Islands facing pressure to be more ambitious on climate change but left with a historic agreement that gives Australia a stronger foothold in the Pacific.

The “Falepili Union” between Australia and Tuvalu is a major strategic play that China cannot offer.

It is a security pact as much as it is a deal to give Tuvaluans the chance to live, work and study in Australia each year in the face of increasing threats from climate change – including a home that could ultimately go underwater.

Described as the most significant Pacific policy announcement since Australia supported Papua New Guinea’s independence in 1975, it will bind Tuvalu to Australia in a profound way and will act as a buffer against an increasingly influential China.

Tuvalu is not a friend of China and still has an allegiance with Taiwan.

But Kiribati has been cosy with China since 2019 and could strike a similar agreement with Australia as the Tuvalu treaty in the years ahead.

Albanese was always going to be unable to deliver a phase out of fossil fuel at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting, which was his reason for travelling to Cooks, but the treaty gives him something tangible to take home.

It shows he’s been proactive in confronting the China threat in our backyard while embracing a new era of Pacific relations.

Having Albanese turn up to his second PIF meant a great deal to Pacific leaders who had no shortage of issues to discuss, and sent an important message that Australia was focused on the region’s needs and its people – especially after four leaders pulled out of the summit.

When the PM began mingling with Pacific leaders on the floor of the Cook Islands national auditorium, he was overheard talking through his extensive travel itinerary for the past few weeks.

Anthony Albanese and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu Kausea Natano have signed a treaty that will safeguard Tuvalu’s future while respecting sovereignty to be known as the ‘Falepili Union’. Picture: X

So much time has the Albanese spent crisscrossing the world, he had to use his finger to plot out the schedule.

Back home, the Coalition will continue to attack the jetsetting leader amid accusations he’s been too distracted on the cost-of-living crisis.

While Peter Dutton played nice on national television when asked about Albanese’s PIF dancing style (saying simply “good luck to the PM”), the “daggy dad” moves may have been more jarring for Australians who have just experienced a 13th rate hike.

There are two sitting weeks remaining for the year where both houses of parliament are in session and yet the PM may still be needed overseas.

Labor sources said he was mulling whether to attend COP28 in Dubai in early December as the government attempts to win its bid to co-host with the Pacific the United Nations climate conference in 2026.

Australia has shown goodwill to its Pacific family and asserted itself as the favoured partner of Pacific Island nations.

Halfway through his first term of government, Albanese must keep chasing that goodwill at home.