Former Australian rugby superstar and captain, David Pocock, says Pacific Island nations are "canaries in the coalmine" for Australia's inaction against climate change.
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Pocock, who is contesting the federal elections as an ACT Independent Senate candidate, told the emergency Pacific Climate Security Summit in Canberra on Monday, the Pacific community is "crying out for action".
He said the countries had looked to Australia for leadership as it is a close neighbour and a major per capita emissions emitter.
But all they had seen was "division, denial, and now delay", Pocock said.
"They have seen climate action politicised and stalled for over a decade. They have seen prime ministers rise and fall over clean energy policies and they've seen a senior minister joke about rising sea levels in the Pacific."
Pocock said there was little doubt this hostile stance on climate action and the threat to Pacific communities has had a significant impact on relations.
It was emblematic of the lack of care, attention, and respect the Australian Government offers its island neighbours, he said.
