Tehan visits Vanuatu

WANNON federal member Dan Tehan travelled to Vanuatu earlier this month to witness first-hand how Australian aid is helping communities in the Pacific Island nation build climate resilience and respond to the impacts of climate change.

The trip was hosted by not-for-profit organisation Save the Children as part of its Australian Regional Leadership Initiative, a learning tour program for parliamentarians funded by the Gates Foundation.

Travelling with a cross-parliamentary delegation that included representatives from the Labor Party, the Nationals and the Greens, Mr Tehan spent six days visiting schools, hospitals, training centres and aged care services devastated by natural disasters and climate change.

Australia is the largest provider of humanitarian assistance and aid to Vanuatu, and the Pacific Island nation is considered one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.

Vanuatu is also heavily prone to natural disasters and more than 80 per cent of its population is still recovering from the impacts of twin cyclones Kevin and Judy, which struck the nation over the course of two days in March last year.

Mr Tehan said the experience, which was aimed at providing policymakers with the opportunity to understand the value of Australian aid and the ways in which it supports communities across Vanuatu to address the challenges they face through locally led projects, was “incredibly informative and very worthwhile.”

“It was incredibly informative to go to Vanuatu with Save the Children and see how they work with other aid organisations and the government to improve the lives of the Vanuatu people,” he said.

The delegation saw a need for help everywhere it went, Mr Tehan said.

“We also looked at the PALM (Pacific Australia Labour Mobility) scheme, which is the scheme by which Vanuatu workers come to Australia to work in our agriculture sector and their admittances help with providing much-needed income back into Vanuatu,” he said.

Save the Children Australia chief executive Mat Tinkler said the visit aimed to provide MPs with a greater understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing children and their communities in Vanuatu.

“Vanuatu stands at the forefront of the climate crisis and its relationship with Australia and the region is deeply important,” he said.

“To be a good Pacific neighbour, it is important that Australian policymakers understand first-hand the challenges facing communities in Vanuatu, including the ever-present threat posed by the climate crisis to the lives and livelihoods of children and their families.”