Australia says it is already implementing its security agreements with Papua New Guinea, including the Pukpuk Mutual Defence Treaty, as the two countries strengthen their defence and regional security partnership.
Australian Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy said the agreements were being translated into practical action, including police training, support for the justice system and the recruitment of Papua New Guinean citizens into the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Speaking in a radio interview with ABC after attending the PNG-Australia Ministerial Forum, Conroy said the relationship had reached an unprecedented level following the signing of the two countries’ alliance last year.
“I completely agree,” Conroy said when asked about PNG’s assessment that bilateral relations were at their highest level.
“The best evidence of that is that last year we signed PNG’s first alliance ever, and that was with Australia. And Australia’s first alliance in 70 years,” Conroy said
He said the alliance was significant because the two countries were close neighbours with shared security and economic interests.
Conroy acknowledged that implementing government agreements was challenging but said progress was already being made under the bilateral security agreement and the mutual defence treaty.
Australia had helped establish a police training centre at Bomana in PNG, which trains Papua New Guinean police officers and police personnel from 11 Pacific countries.
It was also supporting additional judges and village mediation officials to address violence in the Highlands, as well as efforts to combat gender-based violence.
Conroy said the initial steps under the mutual defence treaty were also under way, including plans for a trial intake of 100 Papua New Guinean nationals into the ADF.
He said Australia’s security and prosperity depended on a stable and secure Papua New Guinea.
“Australia’s prosperity and security depends upon a stable, prosperous and secure Papua New Guinea,” he said.
The two countries are separated by about four kilometres at their closest point, reinforcing the importance of cooperation on regional security, Conroy said.
Asked who the two countries were protecting themselves against, following Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ comment that the nations now “have each other’s back”, Conroy pointed to increasing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.
He said the region was experiencing its biggest arms race since 1945, with multiple countries seeking to expand their influence.
“We’re in a permanent state of contest for influence in the region,” Conroy said, referring to comments also made by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
The PNG-Australia partnership has expanded through a series of security agreements, including the bilateral security agreement and the Pukpuk Mutual Defence Treaty.
Conroy said the focus now was on ensuring those commitments delivered practical outcomes for both countries and contributed to regional stability.
