Foreign relations Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

exist between

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

. Tonga has a High Commission in Canberra, and Australia has a High Commission in Nukualofa. Australia stands as Tonga’s largest development partner since its independence in 1970, with contributions and comprehensive programs annually. Australia provides substantial financial and technical assistance in areas like health, education, disaster resilience, infrastructure, and the economy. Australia’s aid totalled AUD 74.8 million for the 2022-2025 fiscal year. The partnership has seen extensive cooperation through programs such as the Tonga New Zealand Australia Technical Vocational Education Training Support Program and the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Program, which also support Tonga’s growth by enhancing agricultural exports and vocational education.

History

In 1999, Australian Foreign Minister

Alexander Downer Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United Ki ...

welcomed Tonga's admission to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. The Minister said that the Australian Government had helped fund the Commonwealth Small Island States Office in New York so Pacific states can afford to be represented here. Following the outbreak of violence in Tonga in 2006, the Tongan Government asked the Australian Government for assistance from Australian forces. Following this request, eighty-five Australian soldiers and police were sent to Tonga with support from New Zealand. In 2008 Tonga's High Commission in Canberra opened. Crown Prince Ahoeitu Unuakiotonga Tukuaho (now King Tupou VI) became its first chief of mission.

Development assistance

Australia is the largest donor of aid to Tonga through its

Ausaid Australian Aid is the brand name used to identify projects in developing countries supported by the Australian Government. As of 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been responsible for Australia's official development ...

program. In 2008/09, Australian aid amounted to AUD13.2M Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said in 2009 that Tonga was an important partner of Australia in the Pacific. He further added "We have extensive development assistance programs with both countries amoa and Tongaand we have very strong people-to-people links. In February 2009, fifty Tongan seasonal workers from a federal government pilot scheme aimed at combatting a skills shortage in the rural sector arrived in the town of

Robinvale, Victoria Robinvale is a town on the south bank of the Murray River in north western Victoria, Australia. It is connected by a bridge to Euston on the other side of the river in New South Wales. At the , Robinvale had a population of 3,740, however a p ...

Polls

According to a 2022 poll by the

Lowy Institute The Lowy Institute is an independent think tank founded in April 2003 by Frank Lowy to conduct original, policy-relevant research regarding international political, strategic and economic issues from an Australian perspective. It is based in ...

, Tonga is the sixth most positively viewed country by Australians. It garnered a 67% positivity rating, placing it ahead of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, which had a 65% rating. The only other countries from

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

included in the poll were

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

, which had a 61% rating, and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, which placed first with a 86% rating.

References

External links

Australian High Commission in Tonga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia-Tonga relations

Bilateral relations of Tonga Australia and the Commonwealth of Nations Tonga and the Commonwealth of Nations