New Foreign Minister Penny Wong to visit Fiji tomorrow after returning from Quad meeting

Tess Newton Cain, from the Pacific Hub at the Griffith Asia Institute, said Senator Wong was "Following through" on her promise to visit the region soon. The Albanese government has already promised to boost aid to the Pacific by about half a billion dollars, as well as establish new migration pathways for people from Pacific Island countries. It also argues that its promises to make deeper cuts to emissions will help bolster Australia's relationship with the Pacific. In a video recorded just before leaving for Tokyo, Senator Wong stressed the shift in climate policy under Labor, saying the government knew that "Nothing is more central to the security and wellbeing of the Pacific than climate change". "We have heard the Pacific and we will act - standing shoulder to shoulder with the Pacific as we address the climate crisis," she said. Some Pacific Island leaders have welcomed Labor's climate policies, but some influential figures in the region argue Labor still needs to make deeper cuts to emissions. Media Association of Solomon Islands president Gina Kekea told the ABC she believed Honiara was under pressure from Beijing to restrict media access to a press event where Mr Wang will speak.