11 April 2012
Moning tru olgeta
Australia’s Deputy Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, was in Bougainville last week on her first visit to the Autonomous Region. She was accompanied by two of her Parliamentary colleagues, Jane Prentice and Ewen Jones. Ms Bishop and her colleagues spent time in Buka, Selau, Tinputz and Kieta Districts. They were warmly welcomed by the Autonomous Government of Bougainville and the people of Bougainville.
Julie Bishop’s decision to prioritise this visit is a practical example of the consensus on both sides of politics in Australia about the importance of a stable and prosperous Bougainville. This is of course a position shared first and foremost by the Government of Papua New Guinea. The successful implementation of the Bougainville Peace Agreement will be critical in this regard. Australians were pleased, with others, to play a role in the peace process, and we are proud of the considerable investment we have made since 2001 in Bougainville’s post-conflict recovery. We have been supporting the efforts of the Governments of Papua New Guinea and Bougainville to actualise the provisions of the Peace Agreement for many years.
Since 2004, Australia – in partnership with New Zealand - has provided targeted support to draw-down powers and improve good governance in Bougainville through a mechanism called the Governance and Implementation Fund (GIF). This has included the provision of advisory support and technical advice. But we are very aware that much remains to be done. We are currently taking stock of the assistance we provide through the GIF with a view to ensuring it is delivering maximum results for the people of Bougainville in the lead up to the referendum on Bougainville’s future scheduled, under the Peace Agreement, for sometime between 2015 and 2020.
Australia supports the wish of all stakeholders to see autonomy in Bougainville functioning as envisaged in the Peace Agreement prior to the referendum so that the people of Bougainville can make an informed choice about their future.
Our assistance has of course also been directed towards our traditional development priorities in Papua New Guinea – health, education, law and justice and transport. In Bougainville, we have:
• restored and maintained 500kms of roads;
• helped built infrastructure to enable the return of law and justice services (a Corrections Facility at Bekut in North Bougainville, staff housing for the Public Solicitor’s Office and Bougainville Police Service, three Community Justice Centres at Tinputz, Torokina and Wakunai to facilitate greater community access to local justice services);
• delivered over 90,000 textbooks to schools in Bougainville, trained teachers, and conducted maintenance at over 90 per cent of schools in 2011 alone; and
• trained midwives and maternal health experts to help reduce the rates of maternal deaths in Bougainville (from 235 per 100,000 in 2005 to 123 per 100,000 in 2009).
Over the next critical period, the Australian Government will continue to support Papua New Guinea and Bougainville to implement the Peace Agreement and prepare for the referendum. The review of the Peace Agreement that is due to take place will be useful in guiding this support.
We all have a shared interest in a peaceful and prosperous Bougainville. Ms Bishop’s visit should be viewed as evidence that this is recognised across the board in Australia.
Banoho Namo Namo
Ian Kemish