// LEADERS' VIEWS
ANTHONY ALBANESE , PRIME MINISTER, AUSTRALIA
Australia’s vision for shared security and sustainable prosperity W e all have a role to play in making sure that the system which has enabled the rise
an environmental challenge, it is an existential threat… As an economy engaged in the fastest growing region of the world in human history, Australia champions the benefits of free and fair trade. And we work to strengthen it. By advocating for working people to share in the prosperity trade creates: through better wages, safer workplaces and the elimination of exploitation and modern slavery. And by supporting the security of communications and maritime travel that makes trade possible, through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, including in our region and the South China Sea. And as a proud member of the Pacific Family, as a continent home to some of the greatest natural treasures on the planet, and as a nation blessed with the traditional resources, critical minerals, skills and sunlight and space to power the global shift to net zero. Australia is acting to meet the environmental challenge of climate change while working to seize and share the economic opportunities of renewable energy. We will meet our 2030 target of 43 per cent emissions reduction on 2005 levels. And last week on 18 September we set our target for 2035: cutting emissions by 62 to 70 per cent. We are honouring our commitment to the Paris Agreement and its goal of keeping global temperatures below dangerous levels. Our target is ambitious – importantly it is achievable. And more than anything else, Australia’s embrace of clean renewable energy will get us there. Clean energy can carry the world beyond the false choice between economic growth and environmental responsibility. Because clean energy enables the rapidly growing economies of the Indo-Pacific to industrialise and
of new powers, safeguards the rights and aspirations of every nation big and small. For Australia, this means investing in our capabilities and investing in our relationships. Investing in development, in defence and in diplomacy. To strengthen the security of our region, to support the sovereignty of our neighbours and to contribute to the cause of peace beyond the Indo-Pacific. We promote unity in the Pacific Islands Forum. We are deepening our engagement with ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations], and elevating our partnerships with Indonesia, India, the Republic of Korea and Japan. And we are breaking new ground with old friends: in the United Kingdom, the European Union and our principal ally, the United States… Part of our job is demonstrating to the people we serve that what happens in the world, matters to them. That when we co-operate to enhance security, contribute to alleviating poverty or commit to protecting the environment, when we support the agency of forums such as the G20, or APEC or invest in diplomatic partnerships like The Quad, none of this means setting our national interests or our people’s values aside, it means working to fulfil them. The United Nations is much more than an arena for the great powers to veto each other’s ambitions. This is a platform for middle powers and small nations to voice – and achieve – our aspirations. That is why Australia is seeking a place on the UN Security Council in 2029-30. And it is why we are bidding to co-host the 31st Conference of the Parties, with our Pacific family, nations for whom climate change is more than
decarbonise at the same time. And to continue lifting their people’s living standards while lowering their nation’s emissions… As the home of the world’s oldest continuous culture, we honour the knowledge and resilience of Indigenous people everywhere. And as a country strengthened and enriched by the hard work and aspiration of people drawn from every faith and tradition on earth, we stand against discrimination and prejudice, everywhere. As a people who believe that kindness is an act of courage, we want to see aid workers delivering food, water and medicine to conflict zones, protected. This week, Australia and our partners launched the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel. I thank the more than 100 nations that have already endorsed the declaration. And as a nation that knows security depends on sovereignty, Australia stands with the courageous people of Ukraine in their struggle against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion. We share the resolve of every member of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to secure peace on Ukraine’s terms. Address to the United Nations General Assembly, 24 September 2025
14 // G20 SOUTH AFRICA: THE JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT 2025
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