Strong demand from Tuvalu for Australian residency as visa lottery closes
Sara: "How do you explain that to Pacific leaders?"
Conroy: "Well I think that instance is an example of how we do diplomacy. We seek to partner not gag, which is not a claim every other country can make." That's a not so subtle reference to China, which also offers aid, infrastructure and security partnerships. Migration pathways are seen as one area where Beijing can't compete - as Ryan Edwards from the ANU Development Policy Centre says. "Australia is just a remarkably more attractive place to live. We already do have the historical ties, we've got a vibrant diaspora, a small one - but we do have that community here. It's just very different. And so it makes a lot of sense for them to use that as the avenue for strengthening realtionships and engagement." Greater labour mobility is something Pacific leaders have long called for. The government has responded with a Pacific Engagement Visa, which also offers permanent residency. "I'm really focused on making sure those first three thousand settle visa grantees have the best possible experience of coming to Australia, and then we'll just see where the numbers go but at the moment our policy is 3,000 places a year." But the transition can be difficult - as Laleiga well knows.
"As long as they're aware of what it's going to be like with the help of the people already settled here. I think they're going to be okay."
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