ACLF Big Picture Series - The Pacific and Australia: Our shared future by Experience ANU published on 2020-06-18T05:09:51Z The ANU Crawford Leadership Forum 2020 presents the Big Picture Series: The Pacific and Australia: Our shared future. During the 2020 bushfires people across the Pacific raised funds demonstrating their deep solidarity with the Australian people. Many Pacific governments committed defence force personnel and funds. Prime Minister Morrison acknowledged the “loving response from our Pacific family”. Now the Oceanic region faces a new set of challenges. Some Pacific Island countries face a potential growing threat from COVID 19 cases, with limited public health infrastructure. While other Pacific Island countries have managed to close their borders and keep out COVID-19 cases, all countries are now facing a growing economic crisis in part due to the lack of tourism. Many countries are also severely impacted by Tropical Cyclone Harold, most notably Vanuatu where it is estimated that almost 17,000 houses have been destroyed. Listen to international and Australian experts; Dr Siobhan McDonnell, The Australian National University ; James Batley, The Australian National University; The Hon. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa; The Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Civil Service and Communications, Fiji; and The Hon. Alex Hawke MP, Minister for International Development & the Pacific, Australia; discuss 'Our shared regional future, pathways forward post-COVID'. 18 June 2020