Australia opens door to Pacific climate refugees weeks after approving gas “carbon bomb”

Almost 300 Tuvalu citizens will be able to move to Australia each year under a new pact agreed with the climate-threatened Pacific nation.

The first Tuvaluans to resettle in Australia under the groundbreaking Falepili Union treaty can apply from next week.

Citizens of the climate change-threatened Polynesian nation are being encouraged to apply to move to Australia by the High Commission in Funafuti.

The migration pathway will allow 280 applicants – who will be selected at random, rather than on the basis of skills or other criteria – through an online ballot, to move to Australia.

Tuvalu is a clutch of reef islands and atolls roughly halfway between Brisbane and Hawaii and home to just over 10,000 people.

It is the world’s most at-risk nation to sea level rise, with a highest point of under five metres.

Fears of being subsided by sea prompted the discussion of the immigration pathway between Australia and Tuvalu.

“The opening of the Falepili Mobility Pathway marks a significant moment for our elevated partnership and demonstrates Australia’s ongoing commitment to the government and people of Tuvalu,” Australian High Commissioner to Tuvalu David Charlton said.

Given the small population, it is possible that all citizens could use the pathway to relocate in Australia by mid-century, however Prime Minister Feleti Teo said he believed most would stay, and others would return.

“The Falepili Mobility Pathway is not just a one-way traffic,” he said.

“Tuvalu stands to benefit greatly from those that return to Tuvalu after exposure to work, study and life in Australia.”

Applications open on Monday June 16, and will remain open until Monday July 18.

Ballot winners will be afforded rights to work or study as permanent residents, with access to benefits like Medicare.

It is expected to be popular among locals, given opportunities for higher-paid work in Australia.

Announced in late 2023, the Falepili Union is a multi-faceted pact with the climate change-threatened Polynesian nation which positions Australia as Tuvalu’s primary security partner.

In exchange, Australia has promised Tuvalu assistance in response to disasters, development assistance, and the migration pathway.

The treaty – named after a Tuvaluan word meaning good neighbour – has been criticised as neo-colonialist, given Australia’s influence over Tuvalu’s sovereignty and absorption of citizens. 

Source: AAP