What does the 2025 Australian election means for the Pacific Islands?

RNZ News

02-05-2025

Photo:
RNZ/Nick Monro
With just one day to go before the 2025 Australian federal election, the Labor Party
is in pole position to govern again
in the Pacific region's largest economy.
Australia has a
fast-growing Pasifika population
, with approximately 337,000 people with Pacific Island heritage calling the country home.
However, despite their increasing presence, Pacific Islanders continue to lag behind both economically and socially, and campaigners argue that public policy decisions fail to account for their needs.
So what does the election mean for the Pacific population?
Climate advocacy group 350.org's Pacific campaigner Jacynta Fa'amau told RNZ Pacific that the survival of their ancestral homes is a growing concern among young Pacific Islanders.
Fa'amau said that, on the whole, Pasifika people living in Australia, like most minority groups, are wrapped up in the cost of living crisis.
"Pasifika people are still earning less than the general population despite working similar hours," she said.
"There are also many barriers that Pacific people face when it comes to accessing education due to citizen status."
Much like Aotearoa, Australia's Pasifika population is concentrated mostly in urban areas, with around 20 percent residing in Western Sydney alone.
Australian media have stressed the importance of Western Sydney to each party's political calculus in their reporting.
That urban presence overlaps conveniently with the Greens' target demographic, as they fight to keep their metro seats, such as Brisbane and Melbourne, while seeking to expand their foothold.
With that in mind, the Greens have been inclined to campaign more on hot-button Pasifika issues, such as foreign aid and migration.
New South Wales (NSW) senator David Shoebridge told RNZ Pacific that he believes his Pasifika constituents notice a lack of respect on Australia's part.
"Too often, when Australia looks to the Pacific, they look at it through a narrow economic lens. [The Greens] see the future of the Pacific as a partnership."
Overall, aid was increased by 2.7 percent in the 2024-2025 federal budget, with the Pacific aid program now
making up over 42 percent
of Australia's overall aid.
Despite that, overseas development assistance has dropped from A$223 billion in 2023 to A$212b in 2024, or equivalent to 19 cents for every A$100 in national income, according to Oxfam.
As a result, the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranks Australia just 28th out of 32 developed nations.
Meanwhile, Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton boasted the previous Liberal-National Party (LNP) government's "Pacific Step-up", which aimed to position Australia as a go-to partner for Pacific nations.
Liberal Party backbenchers are urging their leader against any major cuts for foreign aid, according to an
exclusive report
by
The Guardian.
This comes after Dutton pledged A$21b in new defence spending over five years, prompting speculation that aid spending would suffer as a result.
Fa'amau said that the "big brother" role that Australia plays in the region often comes at the region's expense.
"With one hand, [the government] celebrate its contributions to climate finance and with the other it approves new coal mines," she said.
"Climate migration pathways have also come at the cost of sovereignty and security for some islands."
Shoebridge said that both governments consistently fail on their foreign aid obligations.
"We have seen the Labor government refuse to come close to meeting their platform of increasing federal aid, and what we have seen in just the last few months is a catastrophic drop off of aid in our region, with huge cuts from the United States."
He said the Greens would push for Australia to increase their foreign aid to 0.7 percent of GDP within the decade.