SOMARE: Ladies and gentlemen. Australian Prime Minister Hon Kevin Rudd will be making a short statement and of course address the press, local and the overseas press. Thank you
PM: Thank you very much Prime Minister and I would like to thank very much the Grand Chief for making me so welcomed here in Port Moresby today. In this room here we just met the entire membership of his cabinet and discussed the future of our bi-lateral relationship.
We discussed the future for cooperation within the wider Pacific region and the Island States within it. And also the cooperation we can now engage in globally on the great challenge of climate change.
First of all what I would say is thank you Chief for making me feel so welcome. I believe that the time has come for us to turn a new page and write a new chapter in the Australia-Papua New Guinea relationship and that process begins today. On top of that we need to look at what framework we unfold for the future to govern our relationship as two democracies in this Pacific region of ours.
Today I'm releasing the Port Moresby declaration. The Port Moresby declaration goes to our proposal as Australia for the future, for pacific development partnerships between Australia and the states of the Pacific region; the Island states.
The reason for releasing this declaration here in Port Moresby is because of Papua New Guinea's significance as a power within the South Pacific region. It also reflects the leadership role which the Chief himself has displayed in the past and continues to display in the affairs of the Pacific Island forum.
This Port Moresby declaration and the pacific development partnerships described in it go to two simple propositions. The first is for ourselves as Australia and the states of the south pacific region. We need to ensure that our future development relationship is based on mutual respect, mutual partnership and mutual responsibility. That's the first principal.
The second is this; that when we look at the great challenges of development which face developing countries such as Papua New Guinea, we are mindful of the targets and goals which have been set by the millennium development goals on education, on health and on other critical disease categories such as HIV-Aids and tuberculosis and malaria.
That in moving towards those goals we must have common programs between us to achieve those goals. Therefore these Pacific development partnerships are very clear that we are working within the millennium development goals framework laid down in the year 2000 for all developing countries including Papua New Guinea.
Secondly, what we are saying within that framework is that we as the new Government of Australia want to enter into cooperative partnerships with our friends here in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere within the region, based on our own commitment to increase our official development assistance program over time. We made that clear before the election in Australia that we would do so, that is raising our level of ODA from 0.3 to 0.5 by 2015. The other part of it is to have these programs based on reciprocal respect and mutual responsibility to achieve those millennium development goals, which have been laid out for the region.
The last thing I'd say is this, we are carving out a new chapter in the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea. We are carving out a new framework for our relationship with the rest of the pacific island countries.
On top of that what the Chief and I have discussed today is how do we work together on the broader international stage in the great challenge of climate change. The document that we have just signed is a Papua New Guinea-Australia forest carbon partnership. It is a practical piece of cooperation between our two countries.
If you look at the overall challenge of climate change, the big source of emissions is coal fired electricity generation around the world. A second big challenge for the overall climate change dynamic is what happens with deforestation and avoided deforestation.
How do we best manage that into the future? And it is this area where countries like Brazil, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea have such a significant role to play. That's why in this Papua New Guinea-Australia forest carbon partnership, we've outlined a new framework to work together on this.
A regular dialogue on how we can advance this agenda within the international forums of the world. Secondly an Australian offer for technical assistance when it comes to the satellite based monitoring of the extent of forestry coverage here in Papua New Guinea, as is applied domestically within Australia for some decades.
And thirdly to work with our friends in Papua New Guinea on then applying what is available within the clean development mechanism of the Kyoto conference framework and a future private carbon market to deliver future revenue streams to Papua New Guinea on the basis of them engaging in programs to reduce deforestation.
This is a practical area of cooperation. So in summary Chief I thank you for your welcome. I thank for the new page we can turn on our relationship as two countries, which have known each other for a long long time. And on top of that a new partnership and framework through this Port Moresby declaration for our future relationships here in Papua New Guinea and more widely across the region. But critically working together on the great global and regional challenge of climate change. I look forward very much to this new partnership with you.
SOMARE: Thank you very much Kevin for taking your wonderful time to come out to our country and as a leader of Government in Papua New Guinea; I just want to say how grateful we are for you to be able to take this time to come and make first state visit to us. And I reported earlier on in that this is the first time a new Australian Prime Minister after 33 years of independence has visited. To make a state visit, there were other visits by Australian Prime Ministers on regional forum meetings, in conferences, opening of Parliaments and so on so fourth. But after independence of 33 years this first time which when we declared independence from Australia to first Labor Government of Hon Gough Whitlam.
And this is the first time a Labor Prime Minister has made a state visit to Papua New Guinea. Other official visits and openings and so on so on, but for a state visit this is very important for us in Papua New Guinea.
This is the beginning of our revised and new relationship that we've had just in the past few years things have not worked out as we've expected. The relationship was more or less deteriorated for a little while because of what transpired at the time. There was no common understanding, mutual understanding between the differences that we have and the differences that previous Australian Governments have.
But it's all water under the bridge, we are talking about a new beginning. New beginnings and new relationships. New relationship for Papua New Guinea and Australia. A very important document that we just signed takes us further on. I think Australia, ourselves, Indonesia are like in triangle on this particular issue of carbon emissions and degradation of forests and forests itself.
I think it's very important today marks a milestone in our history that we will be working very closely in partnership with you. And Australian people are to make sure that we keep the millennium goal that was enshrined in 2000 at the United Nations General Assembly of which part of that was also my being the co chairman of the forest council- international forest council with the countries in which Papua New Guinea's ranked as (inaudible) in the region.
We believe it is very important for us to work together. You have the technology and you have the know how. You've done a lot of preliminary work before us and we will be hoping and cooperating (inaudible). All these things will be finalised when we have a Ministerial conference again in April. Our Ministry conference will be held in Medang.
For all the other matters that we have raised, matter's of bi-lateral relationship, partnership. I think the important thing today was the partnership issue that you have raised. Signing Port Moresby declaration goes to show again the faith and the belief that the Australian people have about a country called Papua New Guinea.
We have 6 million people and we are a bigger part of the pacific-larger and we are very proud of the fact that as soon as you were elected Prime Minister; we thought there's a new beginning of our relationships. And I'm extremely pleased that we are very proud of the fact that you could make your first visit to us in Port Moresby and tomorrow in to Goroka.
Prime Minister there are many issues which we will be discussing and I do not want to take much of your time. My response was to welcome you again formally. To say your most welcome and tomorrow we will give you a new light on what you see from our valley's and mountains and our hills and maybe different climate than Queensland.
Port Moresby is similar to Queensland as you mentioned the climate. So tomorrow will be a bit different for you so we offer yo something different tomorrow. Thank you very much.
PM: Thank you very much
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd welcome to Papua New Guinea. My name is (Inaudible) from the Australian Broadcasting corporation. What is Australia's Governments Stance, your Governments stance on the Kokoda track. (Inaudible)
PM: Well I think all Australians have a great emotional and historical attachment to the Kokoda track. So many young Australian men in uniform came here fought and died in defence of our country and our way of life during that great conflict.
When you look at the challenges today they go to conflicting land use needs, they go to how is this area best protected for the future, for our common aspirations, for world heritage protection.
But above all, this is a sovereign state of Papua New Guinea and this sovereign state of Papua New Guinea will be making it's own decisions about the future. What the Prime Minister and I did today was discuss this at length and there will be further discussions between our officials between and now and the ministerial forum for Foreign ministers which occurs in April and will be held in Medang.
We are confident that our officials will arrive at a good outcome on this which deals with the challenges of land use, deals with the needs of local villages and the local community, deals also with the historical significance which this track has for many people in my country and the long term challenge of how you also manage our common aspirations to have this marvellous, marvellous natural asset best preserved for the long term future. So we've agreed on a process to do that over the course of next month or so.
JOURNALIST: Is it a condition of that process that the track not be altered at all?
PM: Well there's a huge debate between historians about where the track is and where it was; and where it is now. I don't propose to enter into that here. There's probably a two day seminar worth of activity in that.
What I think the best thing to do is entrust our officials to resolve this amicably and effectively as I'm sure we will in the period ahead. Which respects fully the interest of local villagers a well as delivering a good outcome for the best protection of this major historical and natural asset which is the Kokoda track.
TIM LESTER: Prime Minister Somare, Tim Lester from the Nine Network, if I could ask if we know our Prime Minister's view on the Kokoda track and whether it should be heritage listed. Could I ask for your personal view on whether you believe the Kokoda track should be heritage listed or the minerals around it should be exploited?
SOMARE: I think I have made my views known to the Prime Minister as we discussed, we will be reaching, we will get our officials to sit down and discuss it. We will have a look at it. And then definitely it will be enlisted in the heritage. But there are areas in which we have to take interest, take into account the interests of our own people, the localities behind the track. We definitely, we will be and in April, and by then we reach some understanding between the two countries.
TIM LESTER: So might a mine and a heritage listing coexist Prime Minister.
SOMARE: This is one of the issues which, for us is not new. We know about it and, but now that the interest is really growing, fast growing interest on enlisting as a heritage for the world, for Papua New Guinea and the world, this is something we are definitely going to reach a agreement on in April.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
SOMARE: We have to have a careful look at it. And we are looking at the (inaudible) that has been done. Our water catchment is a big concern here because it (inaudible), city will be greatly effected by water supply. So we are discussing these issues and I am sure that we will reach some understanding in April. So the issue is one the table. It has been discussed, both sides would sit together before April's meeting and sort out this particular problem.
PM: To add to what Sir Michael said then. We had a very amicable and long discussion about this and I think, characteristic of a new partnership between us, I would be very surprised if we don't come out with a decent outcome which deals with everyone's legitimate interests in what is an important matter for PNG and an important matter for Australia.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Rudd would you be willing to offer land owners compensation to make up for lost royalties
PM: What we have said is that the officials will get together and look at all aspects of the problem, that includes the legitimate interests of local land holders. They are as important in this equation as anybody else and therefore, what would be necessary for them for the future. I am pretty confident that through the mechanisms which we have had working with one another in the last few weeks, and they will continue over the next few weeks, that we will have something to say about this by the time we get to our Ministerial forum in Medang.
JOURNALIST: A question on the carbon partnership, are the two countries - we have only just got the release now -
PM: That's because we just signed it, I am sorry, did you want it before hand?
JOURNALIST: Are the two countries now committing that their future emissions trading systems will be compatible so that carbon credits can be bought and sold between Australia and Papua New Guinea? And can I also ask, is Professor Garnaut, advising you Professor Somare on future options.
PM: I think on the first point, and I will of course let Prime Minister to answer if he sees fit on the Professor Garnaut question. On the first one, what is our aspiration? I mean the three operational dimensions or, parts of this carbon, forest carbon partnership document that we have just signed. The first one commits us to a dialogue process. The second one to measurement, that is how do you measure what is happening in forests. And that is critical, for it to be credible globally, for any future unfolding global set of markets which operate for carbon and thirdly, the third par of the document looks at two possibilities, and that is how any decision by Papua New Guinea in this connection could be enhanced and served by a global carbon market, regional carbon market or national carbon markets, which provide readily, those who would, a supply of those companies or individuals who would want to assist with the decision in Papua New Guinea to retain forests.
That's a smart way to go. Will we be able to get there? That's why we have got a dialogue unfolding. We actually think however, it is a legitimate aspiration for us to have because PNG doing it's bit for the world through avoided deforestation is very important.
There are some 29 million hectares of rainforest in this country, I am advised. That is a lot. But there has to be some return for Papua New Guinea, by way of the clean development mechanism which exists under the United Nations framework and through the operation of private carbon markets as well, if we can get to that point.
This is a frame work which has those as possible end points. It is far better we start heading in that direction together rather than heading in different directions.
SOMARE: There was a question raised on the land owners and the land owner issues, which we have already taken up and my Deputy Prime Minister who is the Minister for Mining has sat down with the land groups, yesterday was the last meeting he had. There is a lot of understanding going on now, for us to reach an amicable understanding between Australia and us on this particular issue. Particularly infrastructure development, or whatever fringe benefits that will come to the land owners from Kokoda, Kokoda down to Port Moresby.
So, there is an understanding there with our land owners so we have not taken it lightly, not taken it simply because of our water catchment issue which we believe some decision will be reached, at the, in April meeting of our respective ministers.
JOURNALIST: Was there any discussion about the use of Australian police in PNG?
PM: We had a discussion about that. Recently the PNG Police Commissioner has asked for some assistance from Australia in relation to various police advisers, we are of course responding positively to that. Those discussions are happening as we speak. I understand there will be some formalisation of it by the time we get to the Ministerial forum in Madang in April.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd on a domestic issues, your government today has approved a 4.99 per cent average increase in health insurance premiums, how will this affect working families a day after the Reserve Bank increased interest rates.
PM: Well, when it comes to the cost of living pressures on families right across the country, mortgages, childcare costs, petrol costs, grocery costs, it all adds up. As do private health insurance costs. What the Minister for Health has been seeking to do in her discussions with each of those private health insurance firms is to keep asks for premium increases as low as possible. This has been a difficult and protracted negotiation and the Minister for Health has handled it in the best way possible.
None of this is easy. It all impacts on the bottom line for families. We understand that, which is why on the broader question of handling the challenges of inflation and their impact on mortgages in Australia, ever since the government has been elected, we have been entirely focussed on the fight against inflation to bring downward pressure on inflation and rates over time. Thank you for you time.