A political analyst at the University of the South Pacific, Professor Greg Fry says the new Australian Prime Minister is open to a much more effective climate change policy.

Professor Fry says Malcolm Turnbull has announced in parliament that he will keep his predecessor Tony Abbot’s policy, however it is a known fact that he has been critical of it in the past.

He says Turnbull wants a much more effective emissions trading scheme.

“So I don’t think that will happen until after the Paris conference when other countries in the world will be starting to move in this area and he can come to the Australian people and say we need to shift with the world opinion – or at the next election – next year when he can put this to the people.”

The Australian Federal Government aims to cut emissions by 26-28 per cent by 2030 based on emissions from the year 2005.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in his congratulatory note to Turnbull has urged him to reconsider Australia’s position.

Bainimarama has urged Turnbull to take into account the grave danger to Pacific countries caused by rising sea levels and extreme weather events and the need for concerted and decisive global action to address this crisis.