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SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
ASIA-PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
CANBERRA 10 DECEMBER 1991
I am very pleased that you have chosen Australia for the
second preparatory meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary
Forum. It is fitting that you are meeting in our new
national Parliament House, in our national capital. Both
capital and building are symbolic of Australia's commitment
to parliamentary democracy.
The development of relations between our region's
parliaments and parliamentarians, in my view, is crucial to
the process of breaking down barriers between nations and of
promoting mutual understanding and respect.
As we approach the 21st century, it is vital for nations in
the Asia-Pacific region to learn more of each others
political values and systems, and to understand better the
cultural bases from which they derive.
I commend the organisers of this Forum for their initiative
and farsightedness in bringing together such a distinguished
group of parliamentarians.
The parliamentary system, as instituted in one form or
another by all countries represented here today, is
essential not only for the enhancement of representative and
participatory government, but for the promotion and
preservation of political liberty itself.
In the last few years, the world has witnessed a fundamental
transformation of political life. Many countries are
discovering or re-discovering the virtues and the benefits
of representative government. Systems that have denied the
importance or relevance of parliamentary institutions are
slowly, or, in some cases dramatically, failing.
Authoritarian and totalitarian systems in Europe, Africa,
Latin America, and our own region are learning the art of
give and take, and of that necessary compromise essential to
a representative parliamentary system.
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It is this philosophy of compromise which is the hallmark of
limited government, the hallmark of a state where liberty is
paramount. In this context, the establishment of the Asia-Pacific
Parliamentary Forum is an important and positive step. it
is a recognition that the region is becoming a major
political and economic grouping of countries alongside
Europe and the Americas.
It is a recognition also that the increasing intensity of
trade and investment in the region has political and social
implications which demand the attention of legislators.
The challenge for all of us is to improve the quality of
life of our peoples, to create conditions conducive to
growth and prosperity, and to maintain and enhance the
security and stability of the region.
The Forum provides us with an ideal opportunity to discuss
and exchange information on the common challenges and
problems which are confronting us all.
Speaking for Australia', no element of our international
policy over the coming years will be more important than
maintaining and increasing the momentum of our growing
enmeshmnent in the Asia-Pacific region. Our policies are
geared towards this end, and the results are plain. In the
economic area, fully 35 per cent of our total trade is now
with North East Asia, and 8.7 per cent with South East Asia,
while 55 per cent of our exports are bought by the countries
of North East and South East Asia. This compares with 49
per cent five years ago.
By the end of the century, given the economic and political
developments that are taking place, well over half of our
trade will be with the region.
Central to refocusing our regional perspective is the Asia-
Pacific Economic Co-operation ( APEC) process. Initiated in
Seoul in 1989, and carried forward over three ministerial
meetings since then, it aims to promote a broad ranging
regional dialogue which identifies and advances common
economic interests.
APEC is not designed to be an exclusive trading bloc, but
rather a grouping which promotes the liberalisation of trade
in the region. APEC provides a collective voice in broader
forums such as the GATT negotiations, and a voice that
speaks with authority. APEC provides a clear and practical
example of an open and non-discriminatory trading system.
In the political and security area, the end of the cold war,
the increasing influence of multilateral institutions such
as the United Nations, and the growth of international cooperation
on a wide variety of issues, provides us now with
an unprecedented opportunity to build a prosperous, just and
secure Asia-Pacific region. : iTIT
3.
The peace process in Cambodia, the gradual liberalisation
taking place in Vietnam, Japan's development of a political
role more in keeping with her economic importance; these
developments and others are all positive steps leading
towards regional stability and co-operation.
The Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum will, I am sure,
develop to become an integral part of these processes of
integration and development with the Asia-Pacific region.
I have, therefore, much pleasure in opening the second
preparatory meeting of the Forum and I wish you well in your
deliberations. I1 o