Minister for Finance, Biman Prasad, delivered the inaugural Oceania Oration at the University of Melbourne on Thursday night.
He urged a deeper partnership between Australia and the Pacific to address climate change, economic inequality, and regional security.
“We are not small islands in a vast ocean, we are the vastness itself,” Prof Prasad said, quoting the late Professor Epeli Hau’ofa to challenge narrow geopolitical definitions of the region.
“The term ‘Blue Pacific’ reclaims our agency, It re-states our collective stewardship over our geography, it expresses our confidence in engaging with the external world on our terms.”
He rejected the “Indo-Pacific” framing, saying it “denies our agency” and casts the Pacific as “a vast undifferentiated geography to be dominated; to be managed.”
He described climate change as the Pacific’s greatest threat.
“The total annual grant-based climate finance flows into this region is well below $250 million AUD, barely five percent of what is needed.”
On Australia’s role, Mr Prasad was direct.
“Australia is not some distant partner in this region. It is the Pacific. It is us.”
He endorsed Australia’s bid to co-host COP31 as a “circuit breaker moment” and called for “a fully funded Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility” and a “predictable, disbursement-ready Loss and Damage Fund.”
“Our journey will be hard but an Ocean of Peace is a vision we share deeply. And we hope Australia will share it too.”