Jack Mclean

When Australians think about climate policy, they probably think of the solar panels and wind turbines that are —and prices—in the electricity sector. But many of Australia’s biggest greenhouse gas polluters are in sectors like mining, metals, and gas production. The Safeguard Mechanism is the Albanese Government’s key policy tool to tackle emissions from around 200 high-emitting facilities in these industries, which account for around 30% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

‘The Pacific is family’ is a truth we hold close. We are wantok, vuvale, drawn together not just by geography but by culture, and by a shared understanding of a world that is not only interconnected but dependent on the health of the vast oceans and seas that connect us. When we extend our Pacific family to include Australia, we find a family member that dwarfs the rest of us, with an economy and population many times larger.