‘A joke’: Dad on hunger strike lashes Albo

A former high-level Australian diplomat has called the Prime Minister’s trip to the Pacific Islands to talk climate change “utterly hypocritical”

Gregory Andrews, who quit his $250,000-a-year job to stage a hunger strike on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra, wants Anthony Albanese to shed his bureaucratic speak and address growing concerns over global warming.

“I think he’s a decent man but I have to say I think it’s hypocritical of our prime minister to be in the Pacific and to talk about security when the biggest security risk to the Pacific is climate change,” Mr Andrews said.

Having eaten nothing in nine days, Mr Andrews’ protest come as the prime minister attends the three-day Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in the Cook Islands to negotiate security agreements with leaders in the region.

A new arrangement was announced on Friday to offer a special visa the people of Tuvalu so they can work, live and study in Australia because of the impacts of climate change.

Speaking earlier, Mr Andrews said the prime minister’s claims to want to protect security interests in the Pacific was a “joke” given Australia’s track record of ramping up fossil fuel emissions.

“The last time global temperatures were two degrees warmer than they were at the beginning of the industrial revolution, sea levels were 50m higher. That means many of our Pacific island brothers and sisters, their nations won’t exist,” he said.

Mr Andrews, 56, plans to starve himself indefinitely or until the Albanese government takes action to reduce its export of fossil fuels.

He said he wrote the prime minister’s office months ago and received a letter back from one of his advisers containing a list of “regurgitated, cut-and-paste government talking points.”

“It didn’t answer my question but even more importantly whole of government-cleared talking points are not going to save us from dangerous climate change,” the father-of-two said.

Mr Andrews now keenly awaits politicians return to Canberra next week for the second-last parliamentary sitting week of the year.

Camped out in the dry afternoon heat with his dog Fred, the former Australian high commissioner to Western Africa said he felt “stronger than ever” despite having lost more than 5 kilograms since last Thursday. He said he has received thousands of messages of support from people since he began.

“I feel really strong. I know you might think that’s hard to believe, but I spent about three months planning this. I know I have to be in it for the long run.”