EMBARGO: 1.00 p. m.
PRIME MINISTER
FOR PRESS 12 APRIL 1978
ADDRESS AT PARLIAMENTARY LUNCH FOR WESTERN SAMOAN
HEAD OF STATE
Your Highness, on behalf of the Australian people I offer our
warmest welcome. We are delighted you are in Australia on the first
visit by a Western Samoan Head of State. I also welcome
your Minister for Finance, The Hon. Vaovasamanaia Filipo and
officials. In recent years there has been a notable strengthening of relations
between Western Samoa and Australia. An Australian High Commission
has been opened in your capital and an Australian Foreign
Affairs officer has been seconded to the Foreign Affairs unit
in the Prime Minister's Department of Western Samoa. My own
contacts with your Prime Minister, Tupuola Efi, have been frequent
and close.
Your Highness, the South Pacific region is of high importance to
Australia. We are determined to live up to our responsibilities
towards the countries of the region. At the same time, South
Pacific nations are taking the initiative in establishing
links with countries outside the region. Western Samoa has been
leading the way in the movement among the independent island
countries of the region towards developing new-diplomatic and
other links with other countries and with multilateral organisations.
I know for example, that Western Samoa recently opened in New York
a permanent mission to the United Nations, the United States and
Canada. This is an initiative that Australia strongly welcomes.
It highlights the need for regional cooperation to safeguard and to
protect the perceptions and viewpoints of the region.
Your Highness, you can be assured that the Australian Government
will continue its efforts to sustain and extend its relations with
the countries of the South Pacific, both bilaterally and through
existing regional organisations. This function is an appropriate
occasion to acknowledge the valuable and most constructive
contribution that Tupuola Efi made at the recent Commonwealth
Heads of Government Regional Meeting in Sydney. Tupuola Efi
as keynote speaker on the item " Special Problems of Small States"
pointed out the constraints on economic development commonly
shared by the island states of the Pacific.
These include a small area and population; heavy reliance on
external trade; as well as transport and communication difficulties. / 2
Australia is aware of these problems. We agree that a regional
approach is indispensible'in tackling them. At the same time,
it is essential for, the problems of small states to attract the
attention of larger'regional countries. As Tupuola EfL'i pointed
out, countries in the Asian-Pacific region share many common
experiences. The problems facing villages in India or Malaysia
are similar in many ways to the problems facing villages in
Western Samoa.
The Cormmonwealth Regional Meeting focussed attention on the
problems of small states and a series of productive discussions
took place. Various important initiatives were announced with
particular relevancte to small states. These included the
secondment of a Commonwealth Secretariat officer to the South
Pacific Economic Commission, a CHOGRMK Regional Consultative Group
on Trade, and an Australian offer of a loan of $ 180,000 to the
Pacific Forum Shipping Line, to meet its outstanding requirements
for working capital.
Australia's development assistance programme to Western Samoa
is substantial. It was considerably raised in 1976 whpn my Governne:-
increased its aid to the South Pacific fourfold. Western Samo isapoahn
its development tasks in a confident spirit of self-reliance,
diversifying its economic base through further development of
export industries, and expansion of trade in7 order to increase
foreign exchange earning and employment opportunities.
Australia too is mindful of our obligations for development in the
South Pacific. A review has been commissioned by our Department of
Trade and Resources to examine the possibilities for increasing
the two-way trade between Australia and the Pacific island
countries. Another area of particular importance to Western Samoa is
fisheries. Australia will continue to cooperate closely with
Western Samoa and the other Pacific Forum countries in establishing
a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Agency.
Your Highness, we warmly welcome the recent steps towards a
genuine strengthening of relations between our countries.
Our relationship is based on a mutual friendship and a desire to
encourage understan'fing between our nations. I hope that there! Will
be an early opportuaity for a visit to Western Samoa by the
Australliia roreign Miinister.
May I again welcome you and your party to Australia and wish you
a happy stay here.