PM: The Pacific and the Islands of the South Pacific are core business for Australia's national interest. Those national interests go to our long term security, those national interests go to the economic wellbeing of our neighbours, those interests go to the impact of climate change. And each of these questions has formed a part and in some cases a substantial part of the discussions among pacific Island leaders today.
On climate change the chair of the forum the Premier of Niue will issue soon the Niue declaration which is, as he advises us, the first time the Pacific island countries have issued a joint declaration on climate change. Part of the reason for that is because you have here in the South Pacific the direct impact of climate change in terms of people's ability to survive.
We had presentations of course from the heads of Tuvalu and Kiribati for whom the impact of climate change is immediate, direct and physical. I indicated to the leaders of the region with whom I have been corresponding recently that I had taken up their concerns at the G8 plus meeting in Hokkaido in Japan a short time ago and reflected to the leaders of the industrial world the impact of unconstrained greenhouse gas emissions on the ability of some of these Island communities to survive.
I also indicated to our friends in the Pacific, Australia's endorsement of a $150 million climate change adjustment fund which includes within it an additional allocation of $14.8 million for a range of climate change adjustment programs here for the Island countries themselves.
Put this into context, this is the single largest climate change adjustment program to be provided to the island countries of the South Pacific. And the countries of the Pacific reflected in a series of representations around the room their appreciation for Australia's support.
Of course this is just the beginning, adaptation and adjustment is one thing. Dealing with mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions long term is part of our charge which we'll prosecute, in part on these island countries behalf, through our negotiations in the post Kyoto framework.
We also disused the great challenges of development and there was agreement that there had been mixed results across the region on the regional countries performance against the millennium development goals. Back in 2000 the international community including Australia, New Zealand and the Island states of the pacific agreed to work concretely on 8 specific millennium development goals - going to core measure of health, core measures of education outcomes, core measures also of basic maternal and child welfare.
If you look at the data which is contained in the Ausaid report which was released yesterday, regrettably the outcomes here among the pacific island countries has been mixed and that data reflects that. That's why we have undertaken of course the pacific development partnerships as part of our new framework for engaging the counties of the region in their development challenges.
I've said to individual leaders and I've said to those gathered collectively that Australia embraces a principle of mutual responsibility. We are prepared to invest long term with the development needs of this region on the condition that we receive and measure, measurable improvements against those millennium development goals here over time.
Next month will mark the midterm review conference of the United Nations when heads of Government from around the world will see how has the world community gone between 2000 when the millennium development goals were embraced and 2015 when they are supposed to be realised.
We are not on track now to realise those objectives here in the pacific island countries. We are not even faintly on track. And that's why a radical new approach to development assistance here in this region is necessary. We've said to the region we'll be there in terms of our long term investment through official development assistance. But we will be there on the condition that we through mutual responsibility to one another see measurable progress against the key education, health and other economic indicators.
Finally on the question of democracy within our region and there was a long discussion today about the recent developments in Fiji and what needs to be done in terms of the pacific islands forums posture on that.
For the first time this pacific island forum has condemned directly the actions of Bainimarama, the interim Fiji Prime Minister in failing to honour his undertakings to the pacific island leaders a year or so ago - and that was to hold democratic elections in Fiji by March of 2009.
Secondly for the first time the leaders of the pacific island forum have embraced the possibility of suspension of a member state. This is a development of what's called earlier the Biketawa Declarations here in the South Pacific. It goes to the unacceptability of non democratic practices and that's why forum leaders have for the first time embraced this as a possible special measure to be adopted against Fiji should they continue not to embrace their undertakings for March 2009 elections.
There's a third element as well. Leaders of the pacific island countries have agreed in principle to meet again in Port Moresby at the end of the year to receive the recommendations of the Ministerial contact group with the Fijian interim Government on whether or not any progress is made between now and then toward the objective of holding elections, or whether none is made. And to have such a gathering out of session on the part of pacific island leaders to consider the recommendations of that report.
So in summary - condemnation of the interim Fiji Government for failing to return democracy to Fiji. Secondly, the embrace for the first time of the possibility of suspension of a member state. And thirdly the pacific islands saying we will meet if necessary in Port Moresby at year's end to give effect to this unfinished business.
Over to you
JOURNALIST: Do you think that Frank Bainimarama will actually listen to you though? (inaudible)
PM: Well for the Pacific Island Forum to declare an unequivocal condemnation of Bainimarama, the interim Prime Minister of Fiji, is itself unprecedented.
Secondly, what is unprecedented is for the first time the forum countries giving definition to special measures. That is, the inclusion of suspension.
And thirdly, a timeline. Which is that we're going to receive a report on this by year's end, which will still be three months before the scheduled convening of elections.
For the region to speak with a uniform voice, a united voice, condemning the abuse of democracy on the part of the interim Fiji Government, is itself a significant step forward.
But however, let me put that into context.
We are dealing with very difficult entrenched problems in Fijian politics, and this is a very hard nut to crack. My mission here, in Niue, through this Pacific Island Forum, has been to make as hard as possible this forum's language in dealing with this abuse of democracy in our region, our neighbourhood, our backyard.
JOURNALIST: Having spent some time with the leaders here today, is your feeling that if Bainimarama doesn't engage with the forum between now and when this next Ministerial Contact Group puts out their statement, that their feeling at the moment is that they will suspend Fiji?
PM: Well, I can't predict what each member Government will do. I think the feeling across Pacific Island leaders at present is that they've had it up to here with this guy. They've had it right up to here. I mean, this guy has been given 18 months since coup date to now to honour a commitment to have an election in March next year.
And what we've done is seen him go backwards from that commitment, not forwards towards realising it.
That's why I think the view in the room was decidedly hard-line in sending a clear message to the interim Fijian Government, with a distinction that when it comes to the people of Fiji, that the mood of this family of nations and democracies in the wider Pacific region is that we'd like them back as soon as possible. So therefore, the language is explicitly directed at this interim Government.
JOURNALIST: He's already showed contempt to the forum by not showing up and by not fulfilling his own undertakings. So why will the threat of suspension, how can it be leveraged to push him towards fulfilling that commitment to hold democratic elections?
PM: Well I'm not about to stand here and say that any diplomatic action against the interim Government of Fiji is going to produce immediate result. What I can do is deal with the cards that you're dealt. And that is, the opportunity through this forum to have a clear cut resolute statement that the abuse of democracy in this our region is not tolerated. It is not an implied norm for this region in the future. And furthermore, that when it comes to the message of the Pacific Island leaders to the international community at large, that these leaders are saying this is, for us, unacceptable.
What happens within Fijian domestic politics over the next few months, let's wait and see. The alternative would be to turn around to the good people of Fiji, on the part of all the island leaders in this community, and say ‘we don't care'. Well by virtue of the language which is condoned in today's declaration, which has been the subject of many hours of discussion and debate and deliberation, I think the people of Fiji will now conclude legitimately that the leaders of this region do care about the future of democracy in their country.
JOURNALIST: Mr Bainimarama has made a couple of trips, I think, to Beijing. And he seems to believe that the Chinese might be a way to help out. Would you be talking to the Chinese about this?
PM: Oh, I would find it remarkable if states beyond the region were to in any way interfere in the internal political affairs of states within the region, and particularly in relation to this matter. And I'm unaware of any such reports.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister is it true that you actually penned the communiqué?
PM: I made some changes to various drafts on the way through, but it's a combined effort on the part of many people participating in the debate. But I think the clear resolve in the room was for there to be an unequivocal message. I mean, Fiji is a great country. They're a great people. They don't deserve to have their democracy abused in this way.
JOURNALIST: Was it you that tabled the suspension idea?
PM: It was a subject of collective effort.
JOURNALIST: Do you think that such unity would have been possible a year ago given the antagonism between the former Government and some of the pacific nations?
PM: Look, I think what has been helpful in this exercise is for me to have spent some time with many of these leaders beforehand.
You may recall that the first visit to a country, apart from attending the Bali Conference, that I took abroad as Prime Minister was to Papua New Guinea then on to the Solomon's. I was able to spend a couple of days with the PNG Government and we actually spent a lot of time talking about Fiji then.
And then Chief, Sir Michael Somare, has spent a huge amount of time in the last six months trying to find a way through in terms of Bainimarama, honouring the undertakings he gave to the previous forum.
I think that has helped, and also, many of these Heads of Government I've been happy to have received and spent time with in Canberra in the last several months as well.
I think building a set of personal relationships with the Island leaders has been really important. It's certainly important in being able to advance Australia's national interest here today.
One of Australia's core interests is to use whatever means available to us to see the restoration of democracy in Fiji.
JOURNALIST: For a long time in the Pacific the emphasis has been on regional. Yet Australia is signing up to these bilateral partnerships. How do you justify this?
PM: Well, I think the first thing to do is to make sure that all such bilateral arrangements, as they are with New Zealand bilaterally, are compatible with the Pacific plan.
We've just spent the better part of the afternoon debating the future of the Pacific plan, which is very much a development plan for the entire region.
Secondly, all Governments including New Zealand's are party to our international obligations for the millennium development goals. Thirdly, therefore, what our bilateral arrangements should do, as ours now seek to do, is to give effect to those two sets of objectives reflected in those two common regional and international documents.
Our Pacific Development Partnership is to do precisely that. And what we want is measureable progress against the development indicators, as I would think all Governments would across the region.
JOURNALIST: What's the relationship to the trade deal, PACER Plus?
PM: Well the PACER Plus discussions so far between the Trade Ministers in my view have been unacceptably slow.
What we have sought to reflect in the communiqué today is a desire for things to be brought to the point of decision about concrete negotiations when the forum next meets.
JOURNALIST:(Inaudible)
PM: Our attitude is that on the question of the impact of climate change on the island states, that what's happening with the island states represents a warning bell to all of us in the developed world. And that's very much the message I actually conveyed to the G8 in Hokkaido. So rather than sort of hauling up the while flag and saying ‘all is ruined, all is lost, and there is no way of turning this back', I think it's far better we focus our efforts now on deploying the arguments alive within the region. The examples of Tuvalu and Kiribati and elsewhere. To actually engineer concrete action on the part of the major emitting states.