Interview with Bridget Brennan, ABC News Breakfast

Bridget Brennan: Well, the UN Secretary-General is set to unveil new research on the existential risks posed by rising sea levels to Pacific Island nations. Australia's Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, will be there for Antonio Guterres' speech and he joins me now from the Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa.

Good morning to you, Minister. How's the environment there? It looks pretty nice behind you.

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy: It's nice today, but we experienced yesterday the crises we're facing in the Pacific. We had a torrential downpour and then a 6.8 Richter scale earthquake in one day, demonstrating the exposure the Pacific feels to the environment every day.

Bridget Brennan: Yes, absolutely. It is extremely concerning what so many nations in the Pacific are facing. What's the purpose of this key forum and will climate change really be at the centre of the discussions this week?

Minister Conroy: Well, these are the annual meetings of the Pacific Island Forum, where all nations in the South Pacific and the Micronesia and North Pacific countries come together to talk about our challenges to resolve a collective approach. So, things like climate resilience, access to health and education and collective security will dominate the discussions. And importantly for Australia, we always turn up and under our government, we turn up and we listen and we act on the priorities of the Pacific. They're our closest neighbours. Our security and prosperity is linked to their security and prosperity. So, it's really important to have an Australian government with a strong Pacific relationship, as this government does.

Bridget Brennan: The UN chief, Antonio Guterres, has been very strong on urging larger nations to do their bit to lower emissions because the Pacific is so vulnerable and it relies on larger countries to really take action. Can we look those Pacific Island nation leaders in the eye and say we're doing enough on this issue, Minister?

Minister Conroy: Oh, absolutely. So, the Pacific leaders understand our very strong targets, our 2030 targets, our net zero targets by 2050, our commitment to deliver 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030 really resonates, as well as our support for action in the Pacific. We announced last year $100 million investment in the Pacific resilience facilities, all about helping the Pacific control their future and adapt to climate change where it is occurring. And in my remarks in response to the UN secretary-general, I requested his help to ask for partner countries, so countries outside the Pacific to make an investment in that Pacific resilience facility, because that's Pacific-led, Pacific control and will fund projects critical to their climate future.

Bridget Brennan: I wonder whether Pacific nations understand our recommitment to the gas industry, you know, beyond 2050, which climate scientists and the UN have been very critical of larger nations' commitment to fossil fuels when on the other side in the Pacific, the sea levels are rising. As you say, there's numerous issues with very intense weather events. Is that something you can explain to Pacific nations why we're doing this?

Minister Conroy: Well, Pacific leaders understand our commitment to reaching 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030 and they understand and respect and embrace the Albanese Labor Government's commitment to taking action on climate change. And it stands in stark contrast to the last Federal Government that destroyed our relationships in the Pacific. We're coming up to the ten-year anniversary of Peter Dutton's jokes about Pacific islands being wiped away with climate change. We see his [---] policies right now on nuclear power and his arguments against taking action on climate change [---] taking us back to the past on climate action will hurt our relationship with this region.

Bridget Brennan: Well, the Treasurer called him 'pathologically divisive' overnight in a speech. Is that language you echo? I mean, what is this obsession with kind of speaking about Peter Dutton when I actually asked you a question about our commitment to climate change on Pacific nations, so is the government worried that Peter Dutton is cutting through in Australian households?

Minister Conroy: Well, Bridget, I said at the start of my remarks, our policies and I was very clear that Pacific leaders acknowledge our radically, significantly increased action on climate change compared to the last government. But it's - I support Jim Chalmers' comments because Peter Dutton is the alternate Prime Minister and you can't look at what the Federal Government is doing in a vacuum, you need to look at what the alternative is. Peter Dutton is arguing for nuclear power stations in earthquake zones like my Hunter region. He's arguing for no 2030 target. He makes jokes about Pacific islands being wiped out by rising sea levels. [---] So, I think it's responsible for a federal Minister to articulate what we're doing and I've done that and I'll continue to do that and also draw attention to the viewers at home what a Peter Dutton government would represent [---] on climate change and [---] on national security. [---]

Bridget Brennan: Let's move to another issue now, if you wouldn't mind, Minister, the large workers rally rights planned across the nation today, what would be your message to workers who are planning to strike today?

Minister Conroy: Well, I'm - what I can say to you is this. I've been in Tonga for the last two days. Is this in relation to people arguing about us putting the CFMEU into administration?

Bridget Brennan: Yeah. Sorry. I know you've been away and travelling and you're dealing with other issues but, I mean --

Minister Conroy: Yeah, sorry, Bridget.

Bridget Brennan: Yeah, yeah, I'll just continue on the government, has this legislation --

Minister Conroy: What I can say to you is - yeah, well, we've taken strong action to place a CFMEU in administration. We've been very clear that lawlessness, criminal infiltration into organisations in the construction industry, be they unions or businesses, is unacceptable. We've taken strong action to stamp out crime and illegality in the construction industry. We make no apology to that. And the sad thing about what the CFMEU has done is that it gives good unionists, whether they be delegates or organisers, a bad name. The vast majority of delegates and union organisers get up every day and fight for workers’ rights. They fight for better workplaces. And that element in the CFMEU that we've stomped out through placing them into administration, gives unions a bad name. We need strong, honest, transparent unions and the vast majority of them are that. And we make no apology for standing up for a fair and legal industrial relations system in our country.

Bridget Brennan: Thanks a lot, Pat Conroy. And we wish you a successful forum this week in Tonga.

Minister Conroy: Thanks, Bridget. Have a good morning.