Port Moresby
Prime Minister Julia Gillard today concluded her visit to Papua New Guinea, having held discussions with PNG's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and his senior ministers.
The Prime Ministers signed a Joint Partnership Declaration, building on the Declaration of Principles signed by former Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Paias Wingti in 1987.
The Partnership Declaration reflects the evolution of the bilateral relationship, to a new level of cooperation based on mutual trust, respect and common values.
The Declaration affirms both countries' commitment to deepening ties and to working together in the region to benefit from the opportunities presented by the Asian Century.
The bilateral trade and investment relationship is vibrant and growing. Two-way trade today stands at more than $7 billion, growing by 5 per cent in 2011-12.
Australian investment in PNG, including through participation in the landmark PNG LNG project, has grown five-fold in five years and today stands at more than $19 billion.
The Prime Minister launched the Pacific Women in Business initiative to establish a mentoring program to assist women to access management positions and tackle violence against women.
The Prime Minister announced the commencement of Phase III of the PNG-Australia Policing Partnership, which will see enhanced Australian support for the modernisation and reform of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC).
This includes assistance for the recruitment and funding of Australians or international police to occupy key in-line positions, additional AFP advisory support to the RPNGC and a program of secondments and mentoring.
Bilateral defence links will also be enhanced, with Australia set to increase engagement through a new Defence Cooperation Arrangement (DCA) which was signed by both Prime Ministers.
This reflects Australia and Papua New Guinea's mutual security interests and provides a practical set of principles to guide our future cooperation under the Defence Cooperation Program, our largest with any country.Before departing Port Moresby, the Prime Minister laid a wreath at the Bomana War Cemetery to honour the Australians and others who died during the Pacific Campaign of World War II.
Bomana holds over 3,300 Australian burials, the largest number of Australian war graves anywhere in the world.
In the spirit of Kokoda, and the other battlefields of the Pacific Campaign, the Prime Minister announced a research project which will commence in 2013 to document an oral history of Papua New Guineans' experiences during World War II.
The results of the project will be presented to a major symposium in 2017, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Pacific Campaign.
The Prime Minister also acknowledged the important Pacific leadership role already played by PNG through its contribution to RAMSI and the Pacific Islands Forum. The two Prime Ministers also discussed the importance of Fiji's return to democracy and support to ensure free and fair elections.