SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER ON THE OCCASION OF THE
SIGNING OF THE MEMORANDUM OF. UNDERSTANDING ON AID
PORT MORESBY 16 SEPTEMBER 1985
MR PRIME MINISTER, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES
GENTLEMENTHE AUSTRALIAN-PAPUA NEW GUINEA RELATIONSHIP: HAS BEENAND
WILL CONTINUE TO BE -A MATTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE
TO BOTH OUR COUNTRIESIT
IS AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP ONE MARKED BY MANY
SHARED POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND OTHER INTERESTS-IT IS A
RELATIONSHIP WE CAN BE PROUD OF ONE WHICH STANDS
COMPARISON WITH ANY ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN FOREIGN
COUNTRIESPAPUA NEW GUINEA HAS RECORDED IMPRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENTS
SINCE INDEPENDENCE. AUSTRALIA HAS BEEN PLEASED TO
ASSIST YOUR EFFORTS. THE AGREEMENT CONCLUDED TODAY
ESTABLISHEcS A ! HUTALLY AGREED FRAMEWORK' TO CONTINUE THAT
ASSI STANCEOVER THE DECADE SINCE INDEPENDENCE SUCCESSIVE AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENTS HAVE ASSERTED AUSTRALIA'S PREPAREDNESS TO
COOPERATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PAPUA NEw GUINEA-
IT HAS BEEN A LONG TERM COMMITMENT-IT IS ACCEPTED
WITHOUT QUALIFICATION BY ALL POLITICAL PARTIES IN
AUSTRALIAIREAFFIRM THIS COMMITMENTMR
PRIME MINISTER
IN THE LAST TEN YEARS PAPUA NEW GUINEA HAS MADE
SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS TOWARDS ITS GOAL OF ECONOMIC
SELF-RELIANCE. THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WILL
CARRY THIS MUTUAL OBJECTIVE STEADILY FORWARD. As
OUR RECORD SHOWS, AUSTRALIA HAS NO NEO-COLONIALIST
AMBITIONS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA. WE WELCOME AND RESPECT
PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S OWN COMMITMENTS TO SELF-RELIANCEINDEED,
WE LOOK FORWARD TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA DIVERSIFYING
ITS SOURCES OF AIDTHE
NEW ARRANGEMENT WHICH IS THE THIRD AID AGREEMENT
BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES CONTINUES THE WELL
ESTtABLISHEID PRINCIPLE THAT THE REAL LEVEL OF AJSTRALIAN
AID -0 PNG SHOULD FALL STEADILY AND, FOR YOU, AT A
MANAGEABLE RATE EACH YEAR. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT
PRINCIPLE WHICH REFLECTS THE CLEAR PREFERENCE AND MUTUAL
INTEREST OF BOTH OUR COUNTRIES-IT WILL, I AM SURE,
STRENGTHEN THE OVERALL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR TWO
AT THE SAME TIME, AUSTRALIA'S COMMITMENT IS SUBSTANTIAL
-OVE R ONE BILLION KINA, OR 1. L4 BILLION AUSTRALIAN
DOLLARS IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS-PAPUA NEW GUINEA
STILL RECEIVES ABOUT A THIRD OF AUSTRALIA'IS TOTAL AID
AND THE NEW ARRANGEMENT CONFIRMS PNG's PLACE IN-* THE
AUSTRALIAN AID PROGRAMIT
IS X-SA GENEROUS AND PROPERLY GENEROUSCOMMITMENT
BY ANY STANDARDSTHIS
AGREEMENT IS BASED ON THE COMPLEMENTARY NATIONAL
INTERESTS OF BOTH OUR COUNTRIES AND IT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED
AS A FAIR AND REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION OF. THE INTERESTS
OF BOTH OUR GOVERNMENTS-IT IS THE CLEAREST POSSIBLE
REFLECTION OF OUR WILL-AND ABILITY TO REACH AGREEMENT
AS MATURE AND INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN PARTNERSAN
IMPORTANT NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THIS THIRD AGREEMENT IS
THE EXPANSION OF THAT PART OF THE AID PACKAGE WHICH WILL
BE DIRECCTED TO SPECIFIC PNG DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES BY
MEANS OTHER THAN BUDGET SUPPORT-INITIALLY THIS WILL
ItNVOL" E ONLY SMALL CHANGES FROM ESTABLISHED
AA. GEVNTS-ALLOWING A GRADUAL SHIFT IN THE FORM OF
AID AS THE TOTAL LEVEL OF AID FALLS OVER A LONG PERIODTHIS
WILL ENABLE AUSTRALIAN EXPERTISE TO BE APPLIED
DIRECTLY TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT
NEEDS-
THIS FORM OF AID PROVIDED BY WAY OF PROJECTS OR
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PRESENTS A SPECIAL CHALLENGEOBVIOUSLY,
WE WILL NEED TO WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER TO
OPTIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF SUCH AID. WE NEED TO ENSURE
THAT FUNDS ARE WISELY USED, AND THAT THEY GENUINELY
CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTSDURING
THESE PAST 10 YEARS OUR RELATIONSHIP, MR PRIME
MINISTER, HAS EXPANDED BEYOND FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO MANY
AREAS WHERE BOTH OUR COUNTRIES REAP BENEFITSONE
AREA MUCH APPRECIATED HERE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA HAS
BEEN THE ACCESS AVAILABLE TO COUNTRIES OF THE SOUTH
PACIFIC REGION To AUSTRALIA'S SECONDARY EDUCATION
SYSTEM-I AM PLEASED TO--CONFIRM THAT WE INTEND
MAINTAINING THAT ACCESS: PRIVATE STUDENTS FROM PAPUA
NEW GUINEA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC ISLAND STATES WILL BE
EXEMPTED FROM RESTRICTIONS WHICH ARE TO BE APPLIED IN
AUSTRALIA FROM 1987 TO ENTRY FOR JUNIOR SECONDARY
EDUCATIONTRADE AND COM~ MERCIAL RELATIONS HAVE ALSO GROWN BETWEEN
us. THEY HAVE INDEED, BEEN ENHANCED UNDER THE PACIP./
AGREEMENT WHICH HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE MAINTENANCE OF
REASONABLY OPEN TRADING ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN OUR TWO
COUNTRIES-CONTINUED PURSUIT BY BOTH OUR COUNTRIES OF
THE OBJECTIVES OF THAT AGREEMENT IS IMPORTANT TO BOTH OF
MR PRIME MINISTER
BOTH PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND AUSTRALIA ALSO SHARE A
COMMITMENT TO THE MAINTENANCE OF PEACETHE
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE COUNTRIES OF OUR
NEIGHBOURHOOD EXPOSES US TO SIMILAR STRATEGIC
CONSIDERATIONS AND SECURITY CONCERNS, COMPELLING CLOSE
CO-OPERATION IN DEFENCE MATTERSAUSTRALIA
AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA HAVE LONG BEEN WORKING
TOGETHER TOWARDS REGIONAL SECURITY THROUGH OUR DEFENCE
CO-OPERATION PROGRAMSWE
ARE COOPERATING, TOO,. WITH OTHER COUNTRIES IN OUR
REGION TO ENSURE OUR CONTINUED PEACE AND GROWTH-WE ARE
BOTH ACTIVE AND COMMITTED MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC
FORUM WHICH, I BELIEVE, IS GROWING IN STATURE YEAR BY
YEAR AS A MEANS OF ASSISTING REGIONAL COOPERATION,
IDENTIFYING REGIONAL SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS WE FACE
AND EXPRESSING VIEWS ON DEVELOPMENTS WHICH DIRECTLY
AFFECT US ALLTHIS
YEAR's FORUM AT RAROTONGA WAS, 1 THOUGHT,
PARTICULARLY MEMORABLE-WE REITERATED OUR COI~ wUTMENT TO
INDEPENDENCE FOR NEW CALEDONIA AND OUR BELIEF THAT IN
DUE COURSE IT MUST TAKE ITS PLACE AS A FREE A14D EQUAL
THE FORUM'S ENDORSEMENT OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC NUCLEAR
FREE ZONE TREATY WAS ALSO THE CLEAREST POSSIBLE
EXPRESSION OF REGIO14AL COUNTRIES' ASPIRATIONS FOR
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, OUR OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR TESTING
AND NUCLEAR DUMPING AND OUR SHARED INTEREST IN A-STABLE,
PEACEFUL WORLDAUSTRALIA LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER WITH PAPUA
NEW GUINEA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS IN PURSUIT OF THESE COMMON
GOALSMR PRIME MINISTER
TODAY IS AN IMPORTANT DAY IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S HISTORYTHERE
IS EVERY REASON TO CELEBRATE YOUR COUNTRY'S
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PAST DECADEYOU
HAVE ESTABLISHED VIABLE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND
ENSURED A DECADE OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT-YOU HAVE
MADE IMPRESSIVE ECONOMIC PROGRESS AND THE NEW
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY UPON WHICH PAPUfA NEw GUINEA IS
ABOUT TO EMBARK HOLDS GREAT PROSPECTIV'E EENEFITS FOR ALL
OF YOUR PEOPLEAUSTRALIA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA NOW ENJOY A DIVERSE AND
MATURING RELATIONSHIP. THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
Ok S 1 OF
IN THE COMING DECADE, I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE SHALL
CONTINUE TO EXPAND THE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND
FRIENDSHIP WE SHARE FOR THE BENEFIT OF BOTH OUR
COUNTRIES AND FOR THE PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF OUR
REGION.