James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne. Following the APEC meeting in Papua New Guinea can the minister update the Senate as to how Australia is increasing its cooperation with partners across the region to increase prosperity, stability and security?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McGrath for his question. I particularly want to congratulate Papua New Guinea on their successful hosting of the APEC summit, which saw hundreds of meetings, and thousands of visitors, in Port Moresby particularly, over the last year. They have done an outstanding job. I also welcome the release of Prime Minister O'Neill's chair's statement. APEC was a timely opportunity to engage with regional counterparts and to encourage closer economic integration, free trade and investment, and sustainable and inclusive growth.

It was also a very important opportunity to engage leaders on the government's new Pacific initiatives. We are strongly committed to working closely with our Pacific neighbours to build a prosperous and resilient region. As the Prime Minister announced recently, the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific will significantly boost economic development opportunities and help to address major infrastructure financing gaps facing our regional partners. We will be expanding our diplomatic presence to every Pacific Island Forum country, with new posts in the Cook Islands, Niue, French Polynesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands.

We're focused on strengthening our people-to-people links, which are so powerful between Australia and the Pacific, across a range of activities in sports—including rugby league, rugby union, netball, football and basketball—and at a community level we'll be working to build stronger church partnerships. In fact, I have already met with church leaders to share views on how they could work with Pacific churches further to provide community support and services. These are real demonstrations of our government's commitment to working with our partners across the Indo-Pacific to build a region that is more prosperous, more stable and more secure.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath, a supplementary question.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how else is Australia strengthening its partnership with Pacific Island nations?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senators would be familiar with the government's Pacific step-up, which began in 2016, which puts the region front and centre—because the Pacific is where we live, after all. And as part of these plans we will now also establish an Office of the Pacific to enhance whole-of-government coordination as we deliver on our commitments to strengthen that engagement across the region. The office will bring together officials not just from DFAT, where it will be located, but also from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Defence, the Department of Home Affairs and the Attorney-General's Department to work together to implement these new initiatives.

I was also very pleased to announce that we'll expand the Pacific Labour Scheme to all Pacific nations and uncap the number of places offered each year. Uncapping the scheme builds on the powerful success of the uncapped Seasonal Worker Program, which has enabled more than 28,000 job opportunities for Pacific workers in Australia since 2012. They help build the skills and experience of Pacific workers and they provide an important source of income and help regional communities find the workers they need. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath, a final supplementary question.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How else is Australia working with our regional partners to promote closer economic integration and create trade and investment opportunities for Australian businesses?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McGrath for that question, because slightly further north in the region we're also working with our ASEAN partners to help drive prosperity and stability in our broader region. At the ASEAN Australia meeting in the margins of the East Asia Summit in Singapore earlier this month, the Prime Minister announced that Australia will help to develop a new South-East Asia economic governance and infrastructure initiative, which is going to be able to provide countries with technical advice on taxation, competition policy and debt management. It will also support infrastructure project selection and help governments to mobilise finance. At the summit, we also committed to sharing Australian water management expertise with countries on the Mekong and strengthening our engagement on maritime security issues—also matters of great concern. We have signed a trilateral infrastructure MOU with Japan and the United States, under which we'll work together to mobilise private capital to help address the region's significant infrastructure needs. This will enable greater opportunities for Australian business. (Time expired)