This week, we are pleased to welcome Prime Minister of Tuvalu, the Hon Feleti Teo OBE, to Australia, where he will visit Brisbane, Adelaide and Tamworth and meet with Prime Minister Albanese, senior members of the Government and Opposition, PALM workers and diaspora.
Prime Minister Feleti's visit is an opportunity to discuss progress on implementation of the Falepili Union, our joint initiative to help safeguard our collective peace, security and sovereignty.
To help grow our people to people ties, and boost connectivity, Australia is pleased to announce up to $40 million in aviation and connectivity support.
We have already made progress on several commitments as part of the Falepili Union, including:
- Tuvalu's first undersea telecommunications cable, which will deliver transformative digital access and improve connectivity for the people of Tuvalu. After careful planning, works will begin in August.
- After the successful completion of phase 1 of the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project, which has added significant land to Funafuti, the next phase will commence shortly.
- The first tranche of budget support for critical services has now been provided, and a design team is conducting consultations in Tuvalu in July to support a new economic governance program.
- Australia has confirmed the arrival of a new Guardian-class Patrol Boat in the third quarter of this year.
The historic partnership puts people first, and will help protect Tuvalu's people, identity and culture, and grow ties between Australia and Tuvalu.
We are honoured to share some of our own history, culture and traditions during the visit and discuss the elevation of our partnership.
We also warmly welcome Prime Minister Feleti's announcement of the Tuvalu Government's intention to open a new diplomatic mission in Canberra.
This is a clear demonstration of the growth of the bilateral relationship and will help support the growing Tuvaluan diaspora in Australia as a result of the Albanese Government's Pacific Engagement Visa and upcoming mobility pathway between Australia and Tuvalu.
Prime Minister Feleti will also meet with Senator Simon Birmingham during his visit.
This follows Australia's bipartisan visit to Tuvalu in May 2024 and demonstrates Australia's bipartisan commitment to Tuvalu and the Pacific region.
