What we learned – Tuesday 27 August
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Thank you for spending your time with us, before we go let’s re-cap the headlines.
PIF: Australia urged to step up support for Pacific neighbours
Chalmers continues attack on Dutton after calling him ‘most divisive leader’ during speech
Treasurer responds to CFMEU protests planned across country today
Children’s advocate criticises new NT government’s move to lower age of criminal responsibility
Victorian government to introduce Airbnb levy with exemptions
Calls for urgent action from NSW government on emergence of deadly synthetic opiod
Arrival of nitazenes in the Sydney drug trade ‘matter of life or death’: MP
International student cap set at 270,000 enrolments for 2025
Australia pledges $8m trial to support Pacific workers and families
Suspension overturned for Victorian student disciplined for pro-Palestine encampment
Sacked Queensland CFMEU secretary to launch high court challenge
Conroy acknowledges Australia’s history of ‘blackbirding’ to defend present Pacific worker scheme
Significant storm system to move through Tasmania and parts of Victoria
Two charged with murder after death of 12-year-old girl in 2022
Top universities criticise Labor’s ‘ill-conceived’ international student cap
Perth man jailed for sexually exploiting hundreds of children by posing as social media star
We will be back tomorrow to do it all again – until then, stay safe.
Updated
Deep-sea mining causes rifts and ripples at Pacific Islands forum
One issue simmering below the surface of the Pacific Islands Forum talks here in Tonga relates to the future of deep-sea mining.
At last year’s Pif meeting in the Cook Islands, leaders tried to bridge deep divides on the issue by recognising “the diversity of positions amongst members”. The leaders called for a “Talanoa Dialogue” in 2024, although this hasn’t happened yet. Talanoa means a type of “inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue” that embraces mutual respect and understand rather than shouting down other ideas.
Deep-sea mining advocates say nodules – clumps of metallic substances found at the bottom of the ocean – could be the answer to global demand for minerals to make batteries and transform economies away from fossil fuels. Several Pacific island governments, such as the Cook Islands, think the option should be on the table for further research and economic development, while a number of other governments in the region are wary of the risks.
Earlier today, civil society groups staged a demonstration in Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, where Pif is being held, to signal their opposition. Pelenatita (Tita) Kara Longopoa, of the Civil Society Forum of Tonga, said:
The Ocean is my identity, my culture, and my inheritance. Mining its depth is equivalent to ripping apart what is central to me as a Pacific Islander and an ocean dweller.
Shiva Gounden, the head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said the risks posed by the new industry were “too great”. Gounden called on the Australian government to “show true leadership on ocean protection” and commit to a moratorium on deep-sea mining.
Updated
