Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for his remarks, for his cooperation, for his spirit of generosity and for his sense of humour in the face of adversity!

Mr Speaker, on indulgence: I would like to make a brief statement in respect of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2011. As members may be aware, last week the Prime Minister and I attended the 60th anniversary meeting of the Commonwealth foreign ministers and, more importantly, of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in the Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. I am pleased to advise the House that the CHOGM in Port of Spain resolved that Australia will host the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. This is a welcome decision.

Australia, of course, has previously hosted CHOGM, in Melbourne in 1981 and in Coolum on the Gold Coast in 2002. Australia has also of course hosted the Commonwealth Games, in Melbourne in 2006, in Brisbane in 1982 and, importantly, in Perth—then the Commonwealth and Empire games—in 1962. So I am very pleased to advise the House that the host city for the 2011 CHOGM will be Perth. I am very pleased to indicate that to the House.

The Commonwealth heads of government resolved that Australia would host in 2011, Sri Lanka would host in 2013 and Mauritius would host in 2015. This does draw important attention to the fact that Australia is an Indian Ocean rim country and Perth is an Indian Ocean rim capital, and the focus of the next three Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings will include the Indian Ocean, South Asia and Africa—Mauritius being both an African Union country and in the Indian Ocean.

Perth is very appropriate for the hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2011. It is now an international city, one of Australia’s fastest growing cities, and it is expanding its great links to Asia but also looking west to India and to Africa. Perth’s having been chosen by the government as the host city for the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting reflects the fact that the government is giving great priority to its engagement not only with Africa but also with India and South Asia. So I am very pleased to announce that today.

I also indicate that the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting has decided that Australia will join the current Commonwealth ministerial action group. The current CMAG members are Ghana, Namibia and New Zealand, and new members include Australia, Bangladesh, Jamaica, the Maldives, Trinidad and Tobago as the chair and office, and Vanuatu. CMAG is the ministerial institution which manages Commonwealth affairs on a regular and ongoing administrative basis.

So that is very good news for Australia and it is very good news for Perth and Western Australia. Over the last 24 hours I took the opportunity of speaking to the Lord Mayor of Perth, and before I left for CHOGM, when this prospect was raised, I had a good conversation with the Premier of Western Australia, Mr Barnett, who, it would come as no surprise, welcomes the decision as much as I do. Indeed, one of my colleagues said to me earlier this morning, ‘You can take the foreign minister out of Perth, but you can’t take Perth out of the foreign minister.’

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, Mr Speaker: it is not often that I welcome home the Minister for Foreign Affairs from a trip overseas with such enthusiasm as I do today. As I too come from Western Australia, I congratulate him on his persuasive advocacy to ensure that the next CHOGM meeting, to be held in Australia, will be hosted by the magnificent city of Perth. It is obviously an opportunity for us to showcase the development of Western Australia. Perth is one of the world’s great energy cities, and it will be a magnificent opportunity for Australia to showcase the fact that we are leaders in energy efficiency, energy development and mining and resources. The issue of the next meeting of CHOGM has been shrouded in some controversy. I commend the government on its ability to come up with a situation which will take away that controversy, with Sri Lanka to be the host, presumably, in 2013. I think that is a very good outcome for the Commonwealth.

As to the future of the Commonwealth, that is obviously a matter to be discussed at the meeting in Perth. A recent report questioned its relevance. The challenge for the leaders of the Commonwealth nations will be to show that it has an agenda that is relevant not only to the Commonwealth nations but also to the globe generally. I am sure that in a Liberal state, with a strong Prime Minister of this country, we will be able to forge an agenda that will take the Commonwealth forward.

I recall the last meeting of CHOGM held in Australia, in Coolum, in 2003. The current Prime Minister and I were both in Zimbabwe at that time. The Commonwealth had to deal with the extremely thorny issue of the presidential election in Zimbabwe. The very dramatic step of expelling Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth was taken. The Commonwealth still has challenges. Commonwealth countries such as Fiji and Sri Lanka are struggling to come to terms with democracy, one of the fundamental principles of the Commonwealth and one that we should continue to support and advocate for around the world. I am very pleased to join with my Western Australian colleague the Foreign Minister in congratulating the government on ensuring that the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting continues, that Australia will play host and that my city of Perth will be able to showcase itself to the world.