Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will bring fresh energy to Pacific talks after landing in Fiji for a key meeting of regional leaders.
Mr Albanese touched down in Suva on Wednesday for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders' summit, where the United States announced new investment in the region and the opening of two Pacific embassies.
Upon landing, the prime minister attempted to draw a contrast to his predecessor Scott Morrison's approach in the Pacific, pointedly saying Australian support "does not come with strings attached".
"It comes because we understand that we have a responsibility as an advanced economy in the region to provide support to our Pacific island neighbours and indeed that is in Australia's interest," he said.
"It's a new era, a new era of cooperation."
Wearing the same Fijian-style shirt as Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Mr Albanese joked "can you tell us apart?", and referred to Ms Wong as his "twin".
"What I bring to this forum is positive energy," he said.
"I've spoken about treating countries with respect. What that means is not just talking but listening.
"We have, as human beings, two ears and one mouth for a reason - because we should use the ears twice as much as we use our mouth. If you do that, you'll learn from each other."
Australian officials claim the Labor government's new climate policies have been seen as "refreshing" after the Morrison government's unwillingness to listen to Pacific concerns.
However, activists note Australia's carbon emissions targets still fall short of Paris Agreement goals to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Until this point, Ms Wong has representing Australia at meetings in Fiji, including a fisheries forum addressed by the US Vice President Kamala Harris earlier on Wednesday.
Invitations to greater powers are rarely extended at PIF leaders' summits, and the US presence comes in contrast to the treatment offered to China, which has been shut out.
Mr Albanese said he supported Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama's decision to invite Ms Harris.
Ms Harris announced new embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, a renegotiated South Pacific Tuna Treaty which will bring $US600 million worth of support to the region and a new US Pacific strategy.
Mr Albanese will next hold a series of bilaterial meetings with leaders from Fiji, Samoa and Solomon Islands.
The Solomon Islands-Australia relationship has been strained after Australia protested against Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's security tie-up with Beijing.
At the height of the spat, Mr Sogavare said relations with with Australia had "soured" - but Mr Albanese said the meeting would be cordial.
"We'll put forward Australia's own position including on that agreement ... I'll treat leaders with respect," he said.
"I'll be honest with them. I'll develop a relationship of trust with them, and that means not necessarily agreeing with them the whole time but being able to have an open dialogue."
On Thursday, leaders will spend the whole day in a "retreat", where they will talk about issues including rubber-stamping a new long-term plan for the region.
Four members won't be there, including Kiribati, which withdrew from the forum with complaints of a lack of power-sharing with Micronesian nations.
However, Mr Albanese said the government would continue to reach out and he was hopeful Kitibati could be brought back on board.
Other member states to miss the summit include Nauru, absent due to a COVID-19 outbreak, Cook Islands, which is holding local elections within weeks, and Marshall Islands, due to legal issues.
