PM Transcripts

Australia is proud to host the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the new millennium.
CHOGM 2002, to be held at Coolum in Queensland from 2 – 5 March, will be the most important international meeting held in Australia this year.
I am very pleased with the confirmed attendance to date of almost 40 leaders as well as Her Majesty The Queen in her Golden Jubilee Year. The meeting will showcase Australia to approximately 1800 delegates and media from around the world.
Member nations of the Commonwealth have a shared history and traditions of democratic governance. We are also committed to working together to develop practical solutions to the problems confronting our diverse membership.
More than 90 per cent of Commonwealth members are developing countries and many are small states. The theme “Commonwealth in the 21st Century: Continuity and Renewal” ensures a forward-looking agenda covering good governance, economic development and the needs of small states. Leaders will be examining ways in which the Commonwealth can best respond to the challenges of this century.
The Commonwealth High Level Review Group (HLRG), of which I am a member, will make recommendations to leaders on reform of the Commonwealth which will help to ensure it remains a relevant and potent force in the future.
Australia is looking forward to agreement on measures that strengthen the Commonwealth';s support for good government and democracy. I will be encouraging leaders to agree on clearer procedures for the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), the political teeth of the Commonwealth, to follow when dealing with serious or persistent violations of Commonwealth values, including good governance and human rights.
I will also be working hard to encourage leaders to support a stronger economic role for the Commonwealth. We want to ensure we focus the Commonwealth';s relatively modest resources effectively on sustainable economic development and economic good governance, and on advancing small states'; interests in areas such as debt relief and trade negotiations.
I will be supporting moves to make Commonwealth organisations more streamlined and effective. Australia wants to see a Commonwealth more clearly focussed on areas where it can contribute to improvements in the life of Commonwealth citizens.
Whilst this year';s CHOGM will be looking at what the Commonwealth can, and should, do in the future, we should not forget the Commonwealth';s proud record of achievement to date. It played a critical role in dismantling apartheid in South Africa and more recently in the return of civilian government in Nigeria. It has also been particularly helpful in our collective effort to promote democracy and resolve conflicts around the world in recent years. I consider it a great honour for Australia to be able to play a central role this year as host and Chairman of the 2002 CHOGM and support its work.