Papua New Guinea - Australia Relations
In order for multiple Australian Government departments and agencies to engage effectively in complex environments on the international arena, GoAUS uses a comprehensive WoG approach to coordinate, synchronise and maximise its actions. The GoAUS bilateral (government to government) approach is integrated across multiple departments (DFAT, AFP, Finance, Treasury, Electoral Commission, Customs and Attorney General as well as Defence).
The role of DFAT, as the lead department, is the coordinated engagement and communications between AUS and PNG. Within its portfolio, DFAT encompasses many agencies and functions such as aid, Austrade, ASIS and others and is responsible for the overall coordination of Australian engagement.
Australia provided an estimated AU$477.3 million in bilateral funding to PNG in 2015-16. Total Australian Official Development Assistance (ODA) to PNG in 2015-16 will be an estimated AU$553.6 million. Australian ODA will help to meet development objectives in PNG, through investments in education; health; law and justice; and infrastructure and governance.
In 2013/2014 AusAID spent over $500 million in order to promote stability in one of Australia’s closet neighbours, PNG by improving the lives of poor people and promoting stability. They achieve this by working with national, provincial and local levels of government in PNG to help them deliver essential services such as health and education in the poorest communities. In the main the aid program delivers assistance through contracts and in some cases directly through NGOs. The aid program had 33 members as of 2914 spread across PNG including Buka, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby and Mt Hagen.
The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) is GoAUS’s trade and investment development agency. It assists Australian business to succeed in international trade and foreign investment. Austrade and DFAT provide the Australian Government assistance and legal guidance for trade. Non-profit organisations such as the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council (APIBC) aim to advance the interests of Australian business in the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) economies. Australia imports $3,426 million and exports $2,842 million worth of goods and services to PNG.
Papua New Guinea and Australia share a close and longstanding Defence relationship. Defence cooperation between our two countries has grown significantly in recent years, based on a recognition that security is enhanced by the effectiveness of defence forces and their capacity to successfully work together.
The Australian Defence Organisation’s Defence Cooperation Program (DCP) helps PNG develop an increasingly professional, capable and sustainable (PNGDF), to allow the two forces to work effectively together in regional stabilisation, peacekeeping, disaster relief operations and supporting major national projects. The DCP also helps develop a professional and capable PNG Department of Defence that is able to support the PNGDF effectively.
The signing of the Defence Cooperation Arrangement (DCA) expressed both countries’ desire to deepen practical cooperation under an enhanced DCP and through other practical initiatives. The DCA provides a framework of principles and reference point to guide cooperation. This included guiding Australia’s growing investment and expansion of the enhanced DCP, which entails increasing Australia’s financial and personnel investment in supporting PNG Defence.
Australia's growing investment in the DCP complements the PNG Government’s commitment to commencing the second, Capability Rebuilding, phase of the PNGDF Reform Program, as set out in the Medium Term Development Plan and the development of PNG’s Defence White Paper and National Security Policy. The DCP had grown again for Financial Year 2013/14 (FY 13/14), from approximately AUD 20 million to over AUD 25.5 million. This increased investment is in both activities and personnel.
Increases in activities include: providing two serials of Mobile Training Teams for 1 & 2 RPIR to build unit performance, develop leadership and provide mentoring; more support for border patrols; increased funding for Exercise OLGETA WARRIOR; commencing preparations for Operation Render Safe in Bougainville (conducted in Torokina in late 2014); undertaking infrastructure works across PNGDF establishments; and supporting PNGDF maritime and air transport capability development.
Australia has posted an Air Operations Manager, a civilian Governance Adviser, a Recruitment Officer, and is looking to establish more positions in the coming years. The provision of two serials of Mobile Training Teams (MTT) will also increase Australia’s personnel investment. It is expected the number of Australian Defence personnel supporting PNG continued to increase.
The government’s Planning Minister and Secretary indicated strong support for extending the counterpart-funding model developed for Project Halivim Poroman to other DCP activities, such as Ex PUK PUK. While still to be effected this will maximise positive outcomes; align DCP activities with national activities, including the Medium Term Development Plan and the PNG Defence White Paper defence priorities; reflect the maturity of the bilateral cooperation and PNG’s recent and anticipated economic growth.
Enhancing the PNGDF’s ability to acquire, operate and maintain critical infrastructure and equipment (eg. air and maritime transport, joint-health capability, and communications) offers a costeffective force-multiplier effect to increase PNG’s operational effectiveness. In 2013/14 this cooperation includes supporting a PNGDF rotary wing capability, supporting PNGDF maritime transport capability through the gifting of an LCH and exploring opportunities to further support PNGDF air transport wing through the leasing or chartering of a fixed-wing transport capability.
Efforts to help enhance PNG Defence’s financial management, strategic planning, capability development, workforce planning, project management, intelligence analysis, and health support capacities, as well as its interagency links and reputation with PNG’s central agencies, are increasingly being recognised as crucial to the force’s future effectiveness. The Department of Defence has essential enabling roles to play in support of the force in many of these areas.
It is important to ensure the scope and shape of the annual ADF-PNGDF exercise program is regularly updated to continue to meet the two forces’ respective and shared needs, to consolidate and build on previous training and to remain relevant to developments in the strategic environment (such as the introduction of ADF’s new amphibious capability).
Experience of recent activities and discussions suggests there could be value in greater DCP attention to: support for land/maritime border patrolling; intelligence research and analysis training; internal audit; future maritime capability; future international peacekeeping, and support for PNG’s whole-ofgovernment security architecture. Through the DCP the ADF had 27 ADF personnel (25 uniform and 2 APS) permanently based in PNG. Of this 23 were based in Port Moresby and 4 are located in Lae.
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