The president of Palau has taken a thinly veiled swipe at Peter Dutton's decade-old quip about climate change, saying rising sea levels are not a "punchline" for the Pacific.
Surangel Whipps Jr has also urged the Coalition to back Labor's plan to co-host a major UN climate change conference with the Pacific, an idea which the opposition leader has called "madness."
The Coalition and Labor have traded blows over energy and climate policy throughout the election campaign, with the government warning that the Coalition's stance risks undermining Australia's strategic position in the Pacific.
Penny Wong also claims that Pacific leaders constantly bring up the 2015 incident when a boom microphone caught Mr Dutton joking about Pacific leaders running late because "time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door."
Mr Dutton later apologised for the comment, saying he had "made a mistake" during a "light-hearted discussion" and that he "did not mean offence to anyone."
Mr Whipps made a clear reference to that joke while speaking to a major clean energy conference in Sydney, saying that Australia and other developed countries needed to display much more urgency to bring down emissions.
"For those of us in the Pacific who have lived through storm surges, rising ocean levels, and increasingly high tides, the phrase 'water lapping at our door' is not a metaphor or a punchline. It's our fear and reality," Mr Whipps said.
"And I can assure you of this: whether you're in Sydney, Palau or Cape York, time is everything. We simply do not have time to waste."
The president of the Pacific island nation — which has hundreds of islands and a population of around 20,000 people — also threw his weight behind Labor's plan to co-host a conference of the parties UN climate meeting in 2026.
Palau is due to host the pre-eminent regional meeting — the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting — just a few months ahead of COP in 2026.
Mr Dutton confirmed last week he would dump the COP plan if he won power, saying it was "madness" to spend money hosting a global meeting while Australians were struggling with soaring household bills.
But Mr Whipps said hosting COP would offer the Pacific and Australia a chance to "lead on the world stage with credibility and conscience."
"Despite being on the frontline of the climate crisis, the Pacific has never physically hosted a COP meeting," Mr Whipps said.
"We cannot let this moment pass without giving the Pacific a platform to lead.
"Hosting COP31 in our region is not just about symbolism — it is a test of fairness, balance, and integrity in the global climate process."
'We're asking for solidarity'
Questions around the proposed COP meeting — which Australia still has not formally secured — have swirled through both national and regional politics for the past year.
Nationals leader David Littleproud told the ABC earlier this week that he would rather support "practical" steps to help on climate change instead of hosting another meeting.
Some Pacific leaders are also cynical about the idea, with PNG declaring it would pull out of the gatherings because developed countries haven't delivered on their promises for climate finance.
Mr Whipps told the ABC that he understood the concerns and cynicism around COP, but that was no reason to quit the field.
"I understand the frustration … what is the point of going if larger countries aren't going to keep their commitments," he said.
"But at the same time if we don't raise awareness and fight for change, then who is? Are we just going to sit back and accept the inevitable?"
He also said Australia had made real progress growing renewable energy, but was still by far the "biggest emitter" in the Pacific, and had a responsibility to phase out coal and gas exports.
"We are urging Australia — and whoever forms the next government — to take the next steps and stop approving new fossil fuel projects and accelerate the phase-out of coal and gas," Mr Whipps said.
"We're not asking for perfection. We're asking for solidarity."
The ABC has contacted the Coalition and Mr Dutton for comment.
