Doorstop interview – Port Moresby

E&OE

Subjects: Commissioning of PPV Minigulai; Australia-Papua New Guinea Bilateral Security Agreement; Transnational crime

ATTORNEY-GENERAL MARK DREYFUS: It's a wonderful thing that the Australian Government has been able to increase the maritime resources of the RPNGC. And I look forward to hearing over many years, Commissioner Manning, of the excellent use that we are confident that the RPNGC is going to, as I had explained to me this morning, greatly expand the capacity of the RPNGC. It's far and away the biggest boat that the RPNGC has ever had and it will enable a great deal of expeditionary work, access to much more remote parts of the many islands that they cover in Papua New Guinea. Australia is very pleased to assist our friends.

PNG MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS JUSTIN TKATCHENKO: On the government side, we are very grateful that we have here the Attorney-General of Australia, plus our two Commissioners for Papua New Guinea and also from Australia here for this historic occasion. The relationship with Australia and Papua New Guinea couldn't be stronger and our partnership in security is a very important aspect to our long-term relationship. The Bilateral Security Agreement that we signed in December last year, this is just part of what you're going to see going forward as part of the implementation of that agreement. That agreement clearly indicates where our countries are going and how we work together as one, for the benefit of security in our region. And this police vessel, which is the first one of its kind which has come in, donated by the Australian Government through the Bilateral Security Agreement, clearly shows how we are implementing now these agreements not like before. So, between our two governments, Albanese and Marape, we're finally seeing true partnership, working for the security of both our nations. And as our Prime Minister said, a secure Papua New Guinea is a secure Australia. So, for us, these agreements that we do with other countries are not just there to gather dust from shelves, but they're there to be implemented for the long-term benefit of both our countries. That's why we do it. And this is just the beginning, just the beginning. After this, we'll go to Bomana and see the training college which the Australian Government has funded through the Bilateral Security Arrangement as well, and through the AFP and through the initiatives of both police forces from Australia and Papua New Guinea. This is what it's all about - working with our traditional security partners, implementing what we agreed to, and getting things done. Not talking about it, making it happen. So, it's a pleasure to be here to see these implementations of agreements that we've signed with Australia for our security, and we look forward to the years ahead of this agreement, going even stronger now and into the future.

JOURNALIST: Attorney-General, why is the ministerial forum to PNG so important to Australia?

ATTORNEY-GENERAL: The ministerial forum is something that gives a group of ministers each year the opportunity to meet together. We're going to hold it in alternate years in Australia and Papua New Guinea and there is no substitute for face to face contact. It enables an exchange of information. The reason why we like to meet in person is the same reason we have parliaments really, there's no substitute for face to face meetings, in person meetings, to do it regularly every year, with not just one minister but a group of ministers coming together [inaudible].

JOURNALIST: [inaudible] .. PNG deal with China. That deal has been shelved in the meantime. But is the PNG deal with China influencing the work Australia is trying to do here as well?

ATTORNEY-GENERAL: I might ask the Minister to respond to that as well. But our view of this is that we have very, very long-standing ties, a very long-standing relationship between our two national police forces. We are building and continuing to build on that relationship. That's what's important, as you've heard from Minister Tkatchenko just now, it's Papua New Guinea's wish to continue building on the traditional relationship that it has with Australia.

PNG MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Yes, thank you Attorney-General. For Papua New Guinea, we have made it very clear that we work with our traditional security partners from day one. Yes, China has given their option to assist Papua New Guinea in policing, training and other issues like other Pacific Island countries, exactly the same, and we have chosen not to entertain that at all. We've made that very, very clear. We need to now strengthen our partnership with Australia, who is our traditional partner. Implement, like what we're doing right now, the Bilateral Security Agreement that our two Prime Ministers have signed for both our countries and make it work and make it happen and I'm really pleased to see this is happening. It's physically happening, you can finally see it, it's not talk, it's actually action and that's what we want to see - a safer Papua New Guinea with a safer Australia. At the same time, Australia is assisting Papua New Guinea in the training of police and its capacity building and many other things. So, we're looking forward to the continued work we're doing together. This is not new to Papua New Guinea. Australia and PNG have been together, pre-independence, going back many, many years. So, our traditional partners are very important to us, and we'll keep them like that.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

PNG MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Transnational crime, and any crime, is a problem for any country and Australia's assistance in training and capacity building in that regard will be ongoing and as part of the Bilateral Security Arrangement in tackling these issues that both countries are now facing, in drugs, human smuggling, weapons smuggling and so on. So, we'll all work together as one, not only through the policing but also through immigration, customs and many other government agencies that work together for the benefit of stopping these sorts of illegal activities in our country. So, it's a partnership. It's a partnership because we don't want to be seen as a hub here in Papua New Guinea for any sort of crime. We want to stop it. We want to make sure it's negativity going forward for anybody that wants to try and use PNG as a scapegoat to get to Australia or other countries.

[ENDS]