Speech to Port Moresby Rotary Club
26 June 2007; Crowne Plaza, Port Moresby, PNG
Australian Deputy High Commissioner to PNG, Ann Harrap
Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. Before I start I would like to recognize that 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of Rotary in Papua New Guinea. Your contribution to the development of PNG over the last half century has been immense. Congratulations. I hope Rotary will carry on working in PNG for many years to come.
The formal topic for today is the bilateral relationship between Australia and PNG – but I wanted to put a slight variation on that theme and to look at why it is we even have a bilateral relationship. Relationships between long-standing partners are not always easy, and the relationship between Australia and PNG is no exception. So why do we put so much effort into it – particularly when:
• we are often criticised as being the bully in the Pacific;
• when you have events like the very unfortunate Julian Moti affair (which we thought was a very unfriendly act from a close neighbour);
• when you have ongoing corruption at all levels of govt;
• when in the face of considerable donor assistance you still have poor service delivery and declining social indicators?
Given all of this, why is a close workable relationship with PNG so important to Australia? And in answering the question of the ‘why’, we will of course look at the ‘what’ of the bilateral relationship.
Our motivation is clear: a mixture of altruism and national interest.
Australians want their government to do the right thing in and by PNG. Many have links with PNG either as a result of having lived, worked and travelled in PNG or from having met Papua New Guineans, for example in our schools and universities. Over 3,000 Australians a year walk the Kokoda Track. This constituency of Australians expect their government to work closely with PNG because it’s the right thing to do and because that will work to the advantage of both Australia and PNG.
In addition to this altruistic motivation, the Australian Government also pursues our national interests. This is perfectly reasonable. It is what all liberal democracies do.
So what is our first national interest goal – it’s to enhance the security of Australia and Australians overseas. What does that mean in a PNG context? It means that we are concerned to see in PNG ongoing state stability and strong economic growth. And part of that means we support an open and accountable government, including transparent and effective electoral processes, good governance, effective implementation of the rule of law, a public service that delivers services and proper handling of corruption.
A failure to achieve these things could have significant consequences for PNG and also for Australia. So our aim is to assist PNG to address these challenges before they get to such a stage where the consequences to Australia in terms of our own security (our exposure to increased trans-national crime issues, such as people smuggling, narcotics and organised crime) become more difficult and expensive to manage.
One of the key ways in which we assist PNG is through our bilateral aid program. PNG is the second largest recipient of Australian aid, after Indonesia. The dollar value is equivalent to approximately 15% of PNG’s budget.
The aid program has seen a great many successes – in delivery of health care, education, vital roads – but PNG is at a development crossroads. We need to see real economic growth (6-7% per annum) and strengthened good governance measures if we are going to see real improvement – not only in the lives of all Papua New Guineans but also in terms of enhanced Australian security.
In the same way that we use the development assistance program to achieve these goals we also maintain an extensive Defence Cooperation Program. Through that program we support the PNG vision of a capable, sustainable Defence Force answerable to the PNG Government. Clearly that’s in our security interests and we are putting a considerable effort into securing that – through efforts such as combined exercises between our two defence forces, military education for PNG Defence Force personnel, technical advice, infrastructure projects and in-line support.
You’ve all heard of the Enhanced Cooperation Program (or ECP). It too remains an important part of the relationship that serves both PNG and Australian interests. While we believe it would have been more effective with an effective policing component, we should not forget the enormous contribution the ongoing elements of the program are making in a number of key government agencies in PNG. Again, this is helping to promote stability, good governance, and economic growth in PNG.
I wanted to make a point about a perception that part of our security interest is aimed at blocking people from entering Australia. That is inaccurate.
We welcome thousands of Papua New Guineans travelling to Australia for holidays, business or study every year (14,000 visas this year). We do not set out to block access to Australia. We do however seek to manage the lawful and orderly entry and stay of people in Australia, including through effective border security. Border security is a key component of Australia's national security arrangements and the department works actively with other countries – including PNG - to curb the capacity of people smugglers and terrorists to circumvent border controls.
Our second main national interest goal is to contribute to Australia’s economic prosperity by creating economic opportunities for Australians, opening markets to Australian goods, services and investment, and improving the business environment.
Australia and PNG enjoy a strong bilateral trading relationship and so there are significant Australian economic interests which we are keen to protect in PNG – we regularly, for example, make representations to government about red tape in the business sector (visas/work permits). Yes, this is in Australia’s interest. But it is also in PNG’s interest because it helps create an open business climate in which investors and exporters have confidence.
Australia is – by a considerable margin - PNG’s largest source of imports and its number one export market. In 2005-2006, over 3,800 individual Australian businesses sold into the PNG market – only five other countries provided markets for a greater number of individual Australian exporters. Given that level of business engagement, it’s not a bilateral relationship that we can walk away from.
And thirdly, the Australian Government has a very strong national interest in providing efficient and effective consular services to Australians overseas in PNG. I know some of you will be aware of my little hobby horse on consular issues – which is to encourage all Australian citizens and permanent residents in PNG to register with the High Commission so that we can help you in the event of an emergency. Given that there are a number of Australians in the audience I will make a registration pitch – and encourage you all, if you haven’t already done so, to register with us.
While we’re talking consular issues, I did also just want to mention the Travel Advice. This is an information service that the government provides to its citizens to give them up to date, practical information about living and travelling overseas, including on security matters. We are criticised by host governments from time to time for our Travel Advice – that it damages the tourism industry; that it’s unfair or paints the wrong picture. This is a view with which we fundamentally disagree. We are not the tourism promotion authority, we are not motivated by political or commercial imperatives – we seek to describe the situation as it is so that Australians are well informed about travel overseas. PNG might not like it – but it will always be an element of the bilateral relationship and our challenge is to ensure it is as accurate as possible.
Conclusion
I’ve tried to give a sense of what motivates us in our dealings with PNG. How serious we are about wanting to work closely with PNG is evidenced by the fact that the High Commission is Australia’s third largest overseas mission in the world, with over 90 A-Based staff and around 100 locally engaged staff representing a range of Australian Government agencies.
The relationship between Australia and PNG can be a win-win. We share a common aspiration for a stable and prosperous PNG. Everyone wants to see that. Australia is not seeking to breach PNG sovereignty or annex parts of the Pacific, as is sometimes claimed. We are helping PNG develop the capacity to deliver its own priorities and policies and achieve a brighter future – because we think that’s the right thing to do for PNG and because that’s in Australia’s national interests.
End