Australia urged to show ‘true climate leadership’ as Pacific Islands Forum begins – as it happened

Pacific leaders attend the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Nuku'alofa, Tonga on Monday. Photograph: Ben Mckay/AAP

9.07am BST

What we learned – Monday 26 August

And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. Before we go, let’s recap today’s headlines:

• Queensland senator Gerard Rennick quits LNP to launch his own party

• Exclusive: NSW government appoints expert forestry panel

• Victorian SES responds to 422 requests for assistance amid wild weather

• ‘May take a while’: Maggie Beer recovering after fall

• Right to disconnect laws come into place from today

• Transport minister details new aviation white paper

• Murray Watt details the new right to disconnect laws

• Thousands without power following Victorian storms on Sunday

• Damaging winds lashing parts of New South Wales

• Delays at Brisbane airport amid industrial action and fog

• Magnitude 6.9 earthquake near Tonga Islands ahead of Pacific Forum

• Police speak to media following shooting in Parramatta

• Tonga earthquake revised to magnitude 6.6

• Aviation white paper released by federal government

• Qantas offering business class change or refunds after first-class price error

• Peter Garrett to lead independent review into Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

• Incoming NT chief minister suggests boot camps as possible consequence for young offenders

• Man charged after alleged stabbing and crash in Engadine at weekend

• Zomi Frankcom’s family has ‘every right to be disappointed’ in report into her death, Mehreen Faruqi says

• Strike Force Juneau to investigate fatal shooting of Tarek Ayoub

• Syphilis cases spiking in Queensland and affecting unborn babies

• Workers to down tools in solidarity with CFMEU

• Australia urged to ‘show true climate leadership’ as Pacific Islands Forum begins in Tonga

We will be back tomorrow to do it all again! Until then, stay safe.

Updated at 9.20am BST

8.49am BST

Australia urged to 'show true climate leadership' as Pacific Islands Forum begins in Tonga

Hello from Tonga, where the Pacific Islands Forum has held its first day of events. At one of the side-events today, civil society groups called on the Australian government to “show true climate leadership” and be “true allies of this region”.

Joseph Sikulu, the Pacific managing director of 350.org, said at a press conference this afternoon:

As both a Tongan and Australian, it’s important for me to see the Albanese government show true climate leadership.

Sikulu acknowledged that Australia had contributed $100m to the Pacific Resilience Facility – a new regional-led fund to help communities prepare for increases disasters – but added that Australia was “still actively approving new fossil fuel projects, exacerbating the climate crisis and increasing the burden of recovery faced by the Pacific”.

Rufino Varea, the regional director of the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, said Australia wanted to present itself as a climate leader and to co-host a future climate summit in partnership with the Pacific:

However, true leadership must not merely be aspirational; it must be actionable. To date, Australia has expanded gas production instead of aligning its practices with the urgent needs of the Pacific. This does not reflect the leadership we need.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is due to depart Sydney tomorrow and arrive in Tonga in the evening.

Updated at 8.58am BST