{"id":17580,"date":"2014-12-18T14:30:37","date_gmt":"2014-12-18T03:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=17580"},"modified":"2014-12-19T09:37:53","modified_gmt":"2014-12-18T22:37:53","slug":"the-2014-australia-png-ministerial-forum-announcables-and-unannouncables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-2014-australia-png-ministerial-forum-announcables-and-unannouncables\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2014 Australia\u2013PNG Ministerial Forum: announcables and unannouncables"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Australian<\/a><\/figure>\n

A week after a serious military\u2013police clash in Port Moresby went largely unreported in Australia, prompting some commentators to warn that PNG mightn\u2019t always muddle-through<\/a> potential crises, it\u2019s reassuring that four of our high-profile ministers attended Monday\u2019s annual bilateral talks. Government, at least, still takes the relationship seriously. But even the Forum struggled for column inches, coinciding as it did with the Sydney hostage drama and federal budget update. So it\u2019s worth a quick look at its key outcomes<\/a> as a snapshot of bright-spots and challenges in the partnership.<\/p>\n

The headline announcement that 50 asylum-seekers on Manus have been categorised as genuine refugees<\/a> could have come wrapped in Christmas paper. Port Moresby goes along with the line that it\u2019s simply playing its part<\/a> helping to counter a regional challenge, but sees its contribution to our tough border-protection stance as a big favour. Reading the fine print, the first 50 successful applicants for refugee status from the 1,044 detainees<\/a> on Manus will have to move to a temporary facility until PNG finalises a resettlement policy<\/a> allowing them to integrate into PNG. Still, progress is welcome, as PNG resents the reputational impact of hosting the centre, extra strain on its weak administrative capacity, and friction from our constant prodding to please hurry up.<\/p>\n

Some critics of offshore processing may suggest the Forum\u2019s muted language on corruption in general, and silence about the evaporation of Taskforce Sweep funding<\/a> after it turned on its master, stem from our own difficult position on Manus. But for reasons I\u2019ve set out elsewhere<\/a>, I\u2019d say it arises more from a calculation that megaphone diplomacy would be counter-productive. And even Sean Dorney\u2014hardly a slouch on the Pacific or<\/em> human rights\u2014observes that, whatever you think about Manus, it has increased cooperation<\/a> between the two countries.<\/p>\n

Moreover, a desire to promote good governance lies at the heart of another of the Forum\u2019s big deliverables: agreement to establish a School of Business and Public Policy<\/a> to help rebuild an effective and ethical public sector. Although its aim to \u2018transform PNG\u2019s public service\u2019 is ambitious given the scale of problems faced and resources available, this initiative fits Canberra\u2019s strategic intent to focus on transformative<\/a> projects: it makes sense to try to help Port Moresby get more out of its own spending as our aid sinks below 10% of PNG\u2019s budget. The initiative also accords with encouraging data from a recent study<\/a> suggesting that improved performance of PNG Government agencies to deliver development outcomes, though hardly inevitable, is far from impossible.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s offer to help PNG get ready for APEC 2018<\/a> can also be seen in a transformational light. Summit preparations will depend on putting the security, logistical and other practical arrangements in place so Port Moresby can meet its hosting responsibilities (no mean feat). But if we can also help PNG showcase a real take-off, lift its sights, and be taken seriously in the big league of Asia, chances are we\u2019ll be able to rely on it playing a constructive leadership role in the South Pacific (as it has on West Papua<\/a>, Fiji<\/a>, and Solomon Islands<\/a>) almost as a matter of course.<\/p>\n

In the security sphere, the Forum announced a repositioning<\/a> of our 73 AFP cops\u2019 support for PNG police, to focus more on organisational capacity-building and training (broadly along the lines David Connery and I recommended<\/a> in October) given their lack of legal protections and powers. Defence Ministers Johnston and Pok also held military talks<\/a>. We\u2019d hope they\u2019re right behind Commander PNGDF\u2019s \u2018Companies of Excellence<\/a>\u2019 concept, given the role of new troops<\/a> in the recent clash between PNGDF and police.<\/p>\n

Following the Forum, Julie Bishop travelled to Bougainville, where next year\u2019s Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) election, further debate about mining, and a referendum by 2020 loom. Major reinvestment in infrastructure<\/a> is happening, WWII bomb-disposal efforts<\/a> show the ABG can negotiate sensitive activities, efforts to extend radio-reach<\/a> beyond 20% of Bougainvilleans are finally underway, and even the PNGDF and former-Bougainville Revolutionary Army have started reconciling<\/a>. Yet communications between Port Moresby and the ABG, though apparently improved<\/a>, remain unpredictable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bishop also visited Goroka, partly to follow-up a new plan to promote gender-equality<\/a> in PNG\u2014another crucial generational endeavour.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Bishop had co-chaired a meeting of the Australia\u2013PNG Business Council. Here, although there’s a buoyant<\/a> outlook, with PNG set to achieve world-beating LNG-driven GDP growth<\/a>, the economy remains fragile<\/a>, the budget problematic<\/a>, and the sovereign wealth fund a work-in-progress<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of course, some of the same forces affect our own economy, with iron-ore and oil prices (which govern LNG revenue) nearly halved this year, prompting Monday\u2019s savage cuts<\/a> to our overseas aid. Port Moresby knows Bishop will try to insulate PNG, and that freezing aid spending in May was popular<\/a> here. Nor should PNG necessarily be left untouched<\/a> as other recipients reel. But there are smarter alternatives<\/a> for helping balance the books than cutting aid to \u2018fund critical national security to keep Australians safe<\/a>\u2019 where our humanitarian and strategic interests are so closely connected.<\/p>\n

Karl Claxton<\/em><\/a> is an analyst at ASPI. Image courtesy of Australian High Commission in Papua New Guinea Facebook page<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A week after a serious military\u2013police clash in Port Moresby went largely unreported in Australia, prompting some commentators to warn that PNG mightn\u2019t always muddle-through potential crises, it\u2019s reassuring that four of our high-profile ministers …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":17582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[832,17,83,285,665,357],"class_list":["post-17580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia-and-its-region","tag-aid","tag-australia","tag-elections","tag-foreign-policy","tag-julie-bishop","tag-papua-new-guinea"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe 2014 Australia\u2013PNG Ministerial Forum: announcables and unannouncables | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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