Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question and the interest that she shows in this issue. I can confirm that the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands has written to the Prime Minister to advise that he wants Patrick Cole, who is our High Commissioner in Honiara, to be declared persona non grata—that is, to expel him from the Solomon Islands. Quite frankly, this decision by the Solomon Islands government is both eccentric and outrageous. The Australian government fully supports Patrick Cole and the work that he has done. He has been an excellent High Commissioner. He is an Australian public servant of long standing who has worked for both sides of politics as a public servant in a number of government departments—in particular, my department and the Prime Minister’s department.

In his discussion with our Prime Minister, the Solomon Islands Prime Minister said that Mr Cole had apparently been talking too much to the opposition in the Solomon Islands. It is the practice of our ambassadors and high commissioners around the world to keep in contact with opposition politicians and parties. In fact, it would be a long time since an Australian ambassador or a high commissioner was barred from talking to the opposition. That sort of thing happened in the days of the old Soviet Union, but it is pretty unusual these days. In this country, the ambassadors and high commissioners frequently talk with our opposition. This is just normal practice, even if they do not think that they are going to get much out of the conversation—which they do not, I believe.

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