17 August 2010
For immediate release
Media release
High Commissioner visits Western Province and discusses Treaty issues
Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea (PNG), Ian Kemish AM, has thanked the people of Kadawa in Western Province for their ongoing cooperation with the guidelines for traditional visitors under the Torres Strait Treaty.
Mr Kemish made an official visit to Western Province on 16 August 2010, accompanied by the Minister-Counsellor AusAID, Ms Stephanie Copus-Campbell. He travelled to Kadawa, the closest Treaty Village to Daru, where he discussed Treaty issues with Western Province Governor, Dr. Bob Danaya, Western Provincial Administrator, William Goinau, Kadawa Village leader, Morrie Peteru, and other provincial and local level government representatives.
Mr Kemish also visited Daru Hospital where he discussed with health officials the continuing efforts by the Australian and PNG Governments to implement the Package of Measures to address cross-border health concerns.
The 2008 Australia-PNG Ministerial Forum tasked the Torres Strait Health Issues Committee (HIC) to develop a Package of Measures to address cross-border health concerns, focused on measures that would strengthen health services in the Torres Strait and Western Province and reduce the incidence and transmission of communicable diseases.
“It is important to find solutions to reduce the numbers and spread of communicable diseases, particularly tuberculosis, and increasingly multi-drug resistant tuberculosis,” Mr Kemish said.
He said the HIC has made significant progress to date in developing the Package of Measures and will continue to work collaboratively to finalise its development.