Australia and Papua New Guinea have pledged to clinch a new security treaty within four months, declaring the deal will also tackle the threat of climate change.
The security interests of both countries are “intertwined” and the agreement would help protect their “independence, sovereignty and resilience”, according to a statement issued by the two parties on Thursday.
Earlier, Anthony Albanese became the first foreign leader to address the PNG parliament and he used the speech to call for the countries to deepen ties across security, economics, trade and sport.
Albanese and his PNG counterpart, James Marape, then signed a “joint statement of commitment” for the bilateral security treaty in Port Moresby. They have asked their foreign affairs ministers to finish the negotiations by April.
The prime ministers described the planned treaty as “a natural progression in the existing security partnership, reflecting the two countries’ shared history, geographic proximity and common regional strategic outlook”.
They said the deal would reflect the evolving nature of security challenges, including climate change, cybersecurity and economic elements of statecraft.
Albanese told reporters the security deal would be “a comprehensive arrangement rather than a narrow one” and he explicitly acknowledged climate change as a security issue.
In a contrast with the contentious security agreement between China and Solomon Islands, which remains under wraps, the joint statement noted the new PNG-Australia deal should “be public and transparent”.
The planned agreement comes amid China’s ongoing attempts to increase its influence in the Pacific, including in security and policing, a trend that has raised concerns within the Australian government.
Marape said during a joint media conference with Albanese that Thursday’s talks had focused on the relationship between Australia and PNG – and not on other potential cooperation between PNG and China.
Albanese also announced funding for a program to expand women’s leadership and combat gender-based violence in PNG. Both countries vowed to significantly ramp up PNG’s participation in a key Australian labour mobility scheme.
Addressing the parliament, Albanese reiterated his view that the NRL should include a Pacific Islander team based out of PNG.
“When Prime Minister Marape and I watched the State of Origin together in Suva last year, he said there are only three days your country stops. Game one, game two and game three,” he said, to laughter from MPs in the chamber. “That’s something I think a lot of Australians can relate to.”
The Australian prime minister touched down in Port Moresby on Thursday morning when he was given a ceremonial welcome as well as a 19-gun salute from the defence force.
Albanese said the security treaty between Australia and PNG would be based on “deep trust” and address “priority needs including law and order challenges, strengthening the justice system and rule of law”.
Both countries, he said, should “work as equals with our fellow Pacific states to build a stronger, safer, more secure region”.
While security was top of the agenda for Australia, Marape told the Guardian ahead of Albanese’s arrival that PNG hoped the trip would strengthen economic ties between the two countries too.
“We will discuss outstanding issues between the two countries, and mainly how we can increase economic trade between the two countries,” Marape said.
“We have invited him to address the national parliament and we ask that he partner with us in strengthening the economic ties between our two countries, invest in our country and buy our produce.”
Marape also urged Albanese to “sort the visa issue out and allow free movement between our two countries, and if you need labour, we are ready to provide skilled qualified workers”.
At present, Papua New Guineans seeking to travel to Australia must apply for a visa, which is processed in Fiji, a process that can be time-consuming and expensive.
Albanese in his addess to parliament voiced Australia’s commitment to the economic relationship between the countries, saying he wanted the two governments “to work together to unlock a new generation of prosperity for your nation. To boost our two-way trade in everything from coffee and cocoa to fisheries and tourism.”
Marape said that among the other issues to be discussed during his meeting with Albanese would be the future for Bougainville, which voted overwhelmingly to become independent of PNG in late 2019, strengthening the PNG judiciary, fighting corruption and the country’s sovereign wealth fund.
In his response to Albanese’s address, Marape thanked the Australian prime minister for acknowledging the two countries were “equal development partners [who] will grow side by side going into the future”.
“An economically independent PNG is a better, stronger and safer PNG. A better, stronger and safer PNG is a better, stronger and safer Australia, a stronger Pacific region, and the Indo-Pacific region.”
The two prime ministers were due to travel to Wewak on Friday to pay respects at the resting place of Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, the first prime minister after PNG achieved independence, who died in 2021.
Additional reporting by Tom McIlroy of the Australian Financial Review who is the designated Australian pool reporter on the ground.
