Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure that I move:

That:

(1) the House invite the Honourable James Marape MP, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, to attend and address the House on Thursday, 8 February 2024;

(2) unless otherwise ordered, at the sitting of the House on 8 February:

(a) the House shall meet, at the ringing of the bells, at no earlier than 9.45 am and the proceedings shall be welcoming remarks by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition and an address by the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea;

(b) at the conclusion of the address by the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea the House shall suspend until the ringing of the bells, when business shall proceed in accordance with standing order 34;

(c) the provisions of standing order 257(c) relating to good order shall apply to the area of Members' seats as well as the galleries for the period set out at (3); and

(d) the Federation Chamber shall not meet;

(3) a message be sent to the Senate inviting Senators to attend the House as guests for the welcoming remarks by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition and address by the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea; and

(4) any variation to the arrangement be made only by an action by the Speaker or by a motion moved by a Minister.

It's an honour to invite the Hon. James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, to address us here in this chamber tomorrow morning. Papua New Guinea is Australia's closest neighbour, with just four kilometres separating us across the Torres Strait. Our two nations share a uniquely close history, perhaps best demonstrated by those brave Papua New Guineans who fought alongside Australian soldiers in World War II in defence of the freedom of both nations. This invitation reciprocates the honour granted to our Prime Minister, who addressed Papua New Guinea's parliament in January last year—the first foreign head of government to do so.

Our contemporary relationship with Papua New Guinea is multifaceted and Prime Minister Marape's visit will be an important opportunity to deepen it. Papua New Guinea, as the largest Pacific country, is a leader in the Pacific region. Most recently, Australia and Papua New Guinea worked together to deliver security for the Pacific Games in Solomon Islands. We work closely together in the Pacific Islands Forum because we both recognise that a strong regional architecture is important to our collective interests.

We are neighbours, and Papua New Guinea has helped us as good neighbours do. Many communities across Australia will remain forever grateful for the assistance from Papua New Guinea Defence Force personnel in recovering from the Black Summer bushfires of 2020. We are friends, sharing close cultural links and common values, including a love of sport—in particular rugby league. As the patron of the Canterbury Bulldogs, this is particularly important to me! The co-patron, I should say, with the Leader of the National Party.

The context of this invitation to Prime Minister Marape is the historic bilateral security agreement our two nations signed in December. This agreement was a profound commitment to support each other's security because as such close neighbours our security is intertwined. The agreement also enhances our ability to jointly contribute to the region's security and it builds on decades of police and defence cooperation. Australia's investments in Papua New Guinea, in our largest development program, are supporting Papua New Guinea's health, education and economic reform priorities, as well as critical infrastructure such as sport and digital connectivity.

I very much look forward to Prime Minister Marape's address and hope that his visit further deepens the partnership between our two nations.

Question agreed to.

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