Despite a Pacific charm offensive, the Albanese Government’s COP31 campaign risks collapse as First Nations voices remain excluded, writes David Paull. Nevertheless, the Australian Department of Climate Change is pursuing a confidence trick in the Pacific and leaving Australian Indigenous voices behind. Implicit is the decision by the Albanese Government to put the interests of the Pacific front and centre for COP31. Pacific leaders would also be aware that fugitive emissions are under-reported. As Polly Cutmore stated:“Our people are more prone to the effects of climate change because of colonisation.