The Coalition welcomes the approval and signing of the Pukpuk mutual defence treaty between Papua New Guinea and Australia, which formally cements Papua New Guinea as an ally. This is a significant landmark in our bilateral relationship with Papua New Guinea and in the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific.
This landmark agreement represents Papua New Guinea’s first-ever defence treaty and cements a mutual defence commitment between our two nations.
The Coalition wants this treaty to succeed and we respect Papua New Guinea’s sovereignty in reaching this decision. The security of the Indo-Pacific is critical to our regional security, and prosperity. It is critical this agreement succeed.
After several embarrassing setbacks for the Prime Minister of his own making, this is welcome news.
The Coalition still has many questions the government must answer: Why did the Prime Minister say the treaty would be signed before it had been agreed to? Why did the Deputy Prime Minister flag the finalisation of this agreement for months for it to stumble at the last hurdle?
It is imperative now that the Government now pull every lever to ensure this treaty delivers security and prosperity for the mutual benefit of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The delays in finalising this treaty and a similar agreement with Vanuatu just underline how dangerous and competitive our region is.
Our region faces growing pressure from authoritarian powers who are determined to shape the Pacific in ways that don’t align with our values or interests. This is a contest for influence, and we must move from rhetoric to reality in how we respond. The Prime Minister needs to wake up to this reality and explain it clearly to Australians.
The Coalition stands ready to support the government in delivering reasonable measures to ensure this agreement delivers heightened security and mutual benefit to Australia, our Papua New Guinea allies, and our region.