Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne says Labor’s pacific policy is “work that was underway already” by the Liberal Party.

Labor’s pacific policy will see increases to the aid budget, more money for climate change adaptation, and an overhaul of Pacific Island worker programs in Australia.

The plan is designed in part to boost Labor’s foreign policy and its argument that the security pact signed by China and the Solomon Islands represents a broader failure of the government’s Pacific Step Up.

Ms Payne told Deborah Knight the government already has the right approach in place.

“We already have a whole of government approach … we already have strong defence and security training.”

Press PLAY below to hear the full interview

Image: Getty/Tracey Nearmy