Australia is working in partnership with the Government of Tonga and communities to enhance national resilience, security and sovereignty.

Australia is supporting the Government of Tonga and communities to build national resilience in the face of climate change. We are backing Tonga's leading role in the region to transition to renewable energy generation. We are also working with the National Disaster Risk Management Office to build the capacity and capability of Tonga's national humanitarian preparedness and response system, including through new warehousing capabilities.

Australia and Tonga are close security partners, bound by decades of cooperation and a joint desire for a safe and prosperous region. Through the Defence Cooperation Program, the Pacific Maritime Security Program, the Tonga–Australia Policing Partnership and with the Australian Border Force, we are building leadership and operational capacity in Tonga and the region to address shared challenges.

Related initiatives

Renewable Energy

$16 million for the Tonga Renewable Energy Stabilisation Project, 2024-2027
$3.5 million for the Tonga Renewable Energy Project, 2019-24
$9.6 million for the Outer Islands Renewable Energy Project, 2013-24
$5.6 million for the Nuku'alofa Network Upgrade Project, 2022-24

Australia is financing the Government of Tonga's rollout of battery and solar systems and the upgrade of the national grid and generator network in Tongatapu, facilitating achievement of national energy transition targets. This builds upon 10 years of Australian investment in outer islands electrification and renewable energy through the Outer Island Renewable Energy Project and the Tonga Renewable Energy Project and earlier phases of the Nuku'alofa Network Upgrade Project.

Related documents

Tonga–Australia Partnership for Resilient Communities

$9.7 million, 2025-2030

Through the Australia-Tonga Resilient Communities program, Australia is working with national NGO MORDI to support communities to adapt to, and manage, climate risks. The program supports Tonga's villages to implement their development priorities across economic empowerment, rural development and small-scale infrastructure.