Deputy prime minister also said security arrangements between PNG and Australia were due for a ‘refresh’. Follow today’s news live
‘We’ve got an eye to recruiting out of PNG into the defence force’ – Marles
Marles is asked about statements from his PNG counterpart about what may or may not be in the agreement, including more integration between PNG and Australian defences forces, and specifically whether there has been any confusion.
I’m very pleased to see the excitement that [the PNG defence minister] Billy [Joseph] is bringing to this and it does, to be honest, reflect the way in which we have been going about this agreement since the moment that he and I first met to do this refresh back in January this year and it has turned into something much more than a refresh.
It is a really significant agreement that we will be signing, but it does reflect the fact that we are doing so many more exercises together, so many more operations together. We are really working hand in glove as two defence forces and I think this is profoundly important.
I think what you can take, though, is that this is a really important statement from Papua New Guinea and indeed from Australia, to each other, and I think this is Papua New Guinea making it really clear that traditional partners, and they’ve talked about this a lot, the traditional partners is where they look to in terms of their security, and from an Australian point of view, PNG is obviously on our northern flank.
It really matters that we have the very best relationship that we can have with PNG in a security sense, and I’m really excited about the fact that this agreement is going to give expression to that.
We’re doing so much more with PNG now. I think it is fair to say that as we’ve walked down that path over the course of the last few months, and we’ve been doing it with a view to signing this agreement in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of PNG’s independence, it is fair to say a lot more ambition has been brought to this agreement and we are really excited about the agreement that we will be signing in the next few days.
It certainly will transform the defence relationship between Australia and PNG, but beyond that, if you look at the various defence agreements we have with countries around the world, actually, it is hugely significant in that context.
The prime minister will be signing this in the next few days, so I will let the prime minister make those announcements and you will see them shortly enough.
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