Results for Australia

117 repatriated passengers arrived at Fua’amotu International Airport from Brisbane, Australia this afternoon. Tongan seasonal workers boarded the return flight to Brisbane.

Pacific senior police executives are learning new leadership and development opportunities in a partnership between the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) and the Pacific Faculty of Policing.

One hundred and fifty seasonal workers from Tonga arrived in Queensland on October 29 to fill the shortage of workers needed for the agriculture and horticulture industries between now and Christmas.

New York Times reporting: They used to call it “the tyranny of distance.” Australia’s remoteness was something to escape... until the pandemic. The virus has turned this outgoing nation into a hermit. Australia’s borders are closed, internationally and between several states. Its economy is smaller, and its population growth has fallen to its lowest rate in more than 100 years. Island living looks like a privilege when the world is pestilent. By Damien Cave.

The stoppage of Tongan watermelon exports to New Zealand and kava exports to Australia is having a drastic impact on the Tongan economy, Lord Tu'i'afitu told the Tongan Parliament this week. Desperate growers are now trying to sell thousands of export quality watermelons along Tonga roadsides for only a few pa'anga each. Quality control was lost when Tonga's expert agricultural advisers left the country, and with a continuing border closure it will take a long time to replace them. From the House by Pesi Fonua

The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus Agreement will come into force on 13 December after the Cook Islands became the eighth signatory state to ratify it to be able to come into effect.

To date, all Pacific nations have abolished the death penalty entirely except for two, Tonga and Papua New Guinea. The World Day against the Death Penalty was jointly marked by the Australian and New Zealand High Commissions on October 9 in Nuku'alofa.

A Tongan fruit-picker was fined $650 after punching a backpacker from Vanuatu in a consensual fight in Australia.

An agreement to improve training and employment opportunities for students at the Tonga Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) was signed with the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) on 4 September, in Nuku’alofa.