The Hon Pat Conroy MP, Pacific Island Affairs
We are pleased to welcome the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, the Hon Feleti Penitala Teo OBE, to Australia to officially open the Tuvalu High Commission in Australia.
During his visit, Prime Minister Feleti Teo will meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, and Minster for Defence Industry and Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy, as well as other senior members of the government, to discuss the substantial progress made to implement our joint commitments under the historic Falepili Union Treaty, signed in 2023.
This includes the Falepili Mobility Pathway, which enables Tuvaluans to live, work and study in Australia.
The agreement is delivering on Tuvalu’s request to help safeguard its future from the worsening impacts of climate change, including through $47 million in 2025-2026 for development assistance to support Tuvaluans to stay and thrive in their homeland.
Australia and Tuvalu will also sign a memorandum of understanding to establish the Tuvalu-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership as part of the $50 million Australia-Pacific Partnership for Energy Transition (APPET), which will provide practical support to integrate high levels of renewables in line with Tuvalu’s Nationally Determined Contribution, while contributing to reliability, security and affordability.
The Tuvalu High Commission, located in Canberra, will enhance cooperation between our countries, and support a growing Tuvaluan diaspora in Australia, bringing the communities of Australia and the Pacific ever closer.
This is the first time Tuvalu has had diplomatic representation in Australia and is Tuvalu’s sixth diplomatic mission overall.
The Hon Feleti Penitala Teo OBE will be visiting Australia from 25-31 July 2025.
Quotes attributable to Foreign Minister Penny Wong:
“We warmly welcome the new Tuvaluan diplomatic mission in Canberra for what is a historic moment in the deepening partnership between our two countries.
“The new high commission will provide valuable support to the Tuvaluan diaspora, as we deliver on our commitments under the Falepili Union. It is another reminder that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Tuvalu as the impacts of climate change worsen.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Defence Industry and Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy:
“The opening of the High Commission is an important step in strengthening the friendship between Australia and Tuvalu.
“The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union Treaty is the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world and the most significant Pacific policy this country has undertaken in the last fifty years.
“It brings the people of both our countries closer together and it’s another example of the Albanese Government turning up and acting on the priorities of the people of the Pacific.”