Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese left a joint press conference at the Pacific Islands Forum in Honiara on Wednesday night to change his shirt after arriving in a floral pink shirt while other leaders wore a coordinated navy-blue design.
Footage broadcast by the ABC showed Albanese stand, exit the room and return moments later wearing a navy-blue shirt similar to those worn by the other leaders. The Cook Islands prime minister, Mark Brown, laughed as Albanese rejoined the group; New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon later quipped to reporters that Albanese had “made some mistakes yesterday on his shirt selection,” and added that the Australian leader had simply “forgot the instructions.” Albanese smiled briefly before resuming a serious expression as the briefing continued.
The encounter was light-hearted but drew attention amid a meeting focused on pressing regional matters, including climate change, security and economic ties. The Pacific Islands Forum is an annual meeting of 18 Pacific countries and territories, including Australia and New Zealand, and leaders used the gathering to discuss a joint bid by Pacific states to co-host the 2026 United Nations climate summit, COP 2026, which is also being sought by Turkey.
Albanese told reporters that he and his counterparts were “universally aligned” in supporting efforts to bring the UN climate talks to a region that is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. He later posted a photograph of the leaders together on social media, captioning it: “When we work together, our whole region is stronger. I’m proud to be in Solomon Islands for the Pacific Islands Forum this year, to help shape a more prosperous, and secure region.”
Delegations discussed a range of bilateral and regional initiatives at the forum. The Australian government had been seeking to finalise a proposed A$500 million economic and security agreement with Vanuatu ahead of the meeting; officials said that signing was postponed amid concerns raised about infrastructure financing linked to China.
The clothing mismatch drew brief media and diplomatic attention but did not derail substantive discussions. Leaders at the forum continued talks on cooperation in climate resilience, development financing and regional security arrangements, and sought to present a united front on options for hosting the COP 2026 summit.
Organisers and participating governments have described the forum as a key annual platform for Pacific states to coordinate policy and strengthen regional ties. The leaders’ comments and the photograph posted by Albanese indicated formal agreement on pursuing a COP bid that would place the summit in a climate-vulnerable region, while negotiations over specific projects and funding arrangements, including the delayed Vanuatu agreement, remain ongoing.