Page 28 - IB September 2018 Edition

climate change

Will Australia abandon the incident in the Australian Parliament
last year in which he waved around a
chunk of coal, and despite all evidence
Pacific on climate change? to the contrary, gleefully declared it a
“clean energy” source.
How many Australians share their
new Prime Minister’s enthusiasm for
an encouraging start to the Morrison coal remains to be seen when the
era. And even Fierravanti-Wells - the electorate finally gets to make its own
departing minister - warned that Mor- pronouncement on the Turnbull coup.
rison is jeopardising Australia’s influ- That could be as late as next May if
ence in the region as China woos island Morrison manages to last the distance,
nations with infrastructure and loans. with just a single seat majority in the
By Graham Davis “At a time of growing contestability parliament, and perhaps even sooner if
and strategic competition in our Pacific the Liberals suffer a shock loss in the
THE reaction in Pacific Island capitals region, the downgrading of the portfolio upcoming by-election for the retiring
to the leadership coup on 24 August to a parliamentary secretary role sends Turnbull’s Sydney seat.
that deposed Australian Prime Minister the wrong message. The Pacific deserves Morrison is not to be under-estimated
Malcolm Turnbull was much the same the highest attention and our allies look because of his successful stewardship of
as that of many Australians. Shock, to us to ensure that this this happens,” the Australia economy as Treasurer for
incomprehension and a degree of be- she said. the past three years and he has virtual
musement. hero status in some quarters for doing
Question: “What’s the coup capital A very Australian coup what Labour couldn’t do and “stop the
of the Pacific? Answer: Canberra, of Malcolm Turnbull’s removal came boats.”
course. Four prime ministers on both amid a bitter ideological struggle be- Yet with neither of the two things for
sides of politics deposed over the course tween moderates and ultra conserva- which he is best remembered - mak-
of eight years, not at the ballot box but tives for the heart and soul of the Liberal ing Australia’s asylum seekers a wider
knifed by their own colleagues. Party, which governs in coalition with Pacific problem and promoting a proven
Turnbull himself called it “a form of the Nationals and along with Labour, is “dirty energy” source - does Morrison
madness” - an extraordinary week of one of the two traditional ruling parties appear to be in step with mainstream
bloodletting in the Liberal Party room in in Australia. islands opinion
which the moderate conservative at first Founded in the 1940s by Australia’s
held on, then looked like being toppled longest serving prime minister, Sir Rob- Bainimarama weighs in
by right wing hardliner, Peter Dutton, ert Menzies, the Liberals were always In the aftermath of his ascension to
and then blocked Dutton by helping to described by Australia’s second longest Australia’s top job, Pacific leaders and
engineer the succession to a less right serving prime minister, John Howard, as policy makers have been scrambling
wing figure in the form of Scott Mor- a “broad church” capable of accommo- to work out what it all means. And
rison, his Treasurer. dating a range of conservative beliefs. especially looking for signs of Mor-
The revolving door also saw the But Turnbull – who once tried to se- rison’s commitment to decisive action
departure of the two ministers most cure a Senate seat from Labour - has on climate change, given its critical im-
familiar to Pacific leaders. always been suspected by his Liberal portance to island nations and the well
Julie Bishop resigned as Foreign opponents of trying to move the party being of their people and economies.
Minister after she failed to secure the to the left, of being a soft left politician Frank Bainimarama, Fiji’s Prime
leadership herself. And Pacific Minister in conservative clothing. Minister and the President of COP23
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was one of a Many of his social views mirrored - the ongoing UN climate negotiations
number of MPs whose dramatic resigna- those on the opposition benches - a sup- - confronted the issue head on in a let-
tions preceded the leadership spill. porter of same sex marriage, Australia ter congratulating his new Australian
Bishop has been replaced as Foreign becoming a republic and worst of all in counterpart on his appointment.
Minister by Turnbull’s Defence Minister, the minds of the ultra conservatives, a Citing the “catastrophic potential” of
Marise Payne, who was representing strong belief in human-induced climate the changing climate on the entire world
Morrison at the Pacific Islands Forum in change. and the “devastating impacts” already
Nauru at the start of September. With his demise and Scott Morrison’s being felt not only in the Pacific but
Regardless of his “no show” at the ascension, many Liberal MPs have Australia itself through heat waves and
Forum, it is Morrison’s decision not to swung their “broad church” decisively bushfires, Bainimarama was character-
reappoint a dedicated Pacific minister back towards worshipping on the right. istically frank:
that is raising the most eyebrows. And they have a distinct lack of zeal for “In this global campaign, we cannot
Fierravanti-Wells’ Ministerial role more ambitious climate action. settle for business as usual and we
has been downgraded to that of an certainly cannot tolerate any backward
“assistant minister,” formerly known Scott who? steps”, he declared.
as parliamentary secretary. The new Morrison is best known in Australia Within days, the Morrison Govern-
incumbent, Anne Ruston, raised even for two things: “stopping the boats” ment was also under pressure at the
more eyebrows when she said she had when he was Immigration Minister Pacific Island Forum meeting in Nauru to
“no idea” why she had been chosen. by sending asylum-seekers to Manus sign a joint security declaration pledging
From a Pacific perspective, it is hardly Island and Nauru. And for a startling support for the 2015 Paris Agreement

28 Islands Business, September 2018