Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The long-term friendship between Australia and the Solomon Islands is based on a shared history and common interests. We're both parliamentary democracies located in the Pacific and part of the Commonwealth and have national identities strongly shaped by World War II. Some of us in this parliament travelled to the Solomon Islands last month on a learning tour arranged by Save the Children Australia to see the delivery of Australian foreign aid.

The Solomon Islands, like Papua New Guinea, were granted independence in the seventies, and both nations have encountered their fair share of challenges since then. Twenty years after gaining independence, the Solomon Islands collapsed into civil war along ethnic lines. Responding to that crisis, in 2003, Australia led a coalition of police forces from across the Pacific to bring back stability. RAMSI, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, was notably successful in re-establishing law and order. It formally ended last year, and I heard firsthand from many Solomon Islanders about their concerns that it was ending. However, transitional arrangements remain in place. Australia retains an unarmed AFP presence to advise and assist the Solomon Islands police, in addition to our other foreign aid programs and other support.

In addition to its leadership of RAMSI, Australia's been supporting the Solomon Islands through foreign aid and other advisory initiatives. From what I saw there, I believe it is in the interests of Australia and our region for Australia to continue those programs and to generally play as large a role as our friends want us to play in further developing their institutions of governance, justice and commerce.

The focus of the learning tour was education, the protection of children and women, and economic development. Foreign aid comprises more than 10 per cent of the Solomon Islands GDP, and most of that comes from Australia. This financial year, total Australian Official Development Assistance will be about $142 million, on top of the funding we contribute to important regional concerns such as disease prevention and the international fight against TB and malaria.

The majority of Australian foreign aid is delivered through not-for-profit organisations, usually international charities. For those of us familiar with the limitations of bureaucracy, the delivery of foreign aid by NGOs is to be welcomed so long as they stretch the aid dollar further and operate on the smell of an oily rag. I'm confident from what I saw that their efficiency and productivity is greater compared to direct delivery by Australian government agencies. Another benefit of using NGOs for aid delivery is that, through their charity work, they often have links or existing personnel in the local communities in developing nations. I'm confident from what I saw in communities around the Solomon Islands that their relationships are stronger and their capacity for local delivery is greater than that of our government agencies.

But, notwithstanding the delivery vehicle, I also reflected on broader questions about Australia's foreign aid. Is the money that Australia invests in the Solomon Islands worthwhile? Are we getting value for money? Would our scarce funds be better directed elsewhere, at home or abroad? What I witnessed on the ground was Australian aid making a difference and focused fairly tightly on what are the key building blocks for any society. Regarding economic development, I saw Australian aid empowering farmers, artisans and small businesses by setting up marketplaces and cooperatives that are functional and safe. I saw investments in the capital of emerging industries that may help to diversify an economy that still relies too heavily on some unsustainable practices in logging and fishing. Regarding the justice system, I saw the momentum built by 14 years of RAMSI evidenced by recent legal reforms and strong local efforts to end domestic violence and the exploitation of children. While we were there, the news headlines revealed the first major enforcement operations by the Solomon Islands government against those who practice sexual exploitation and child marriage in outlying provinces.

I conclude that Australians should be possibly more interested in the development of our near neighbours and friends in the Pacific, for clear moral reasons but, as well, for our own strategic benefit. Not only is Brisbane, for example, the gateway for travellers to and from most Pacific nations and for students; we have a sizeable Pacific community around Brisbane and Queensland, and a significant amount of Australia's foreign aid delivery and disaster relief is delivered via Brisbane. The success of our Pacific neighbours should also be Brisbane's success. If we can remember our shared history and build on our friendships and economic ties, we can see even more tourists travelling through Brisbane, even more students and future leaders studying here, closer friendships and more trade and commerce, benefiting our mutual prosperity.