‘A Very High Priority For Us’

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has, over the past year, become the most influential government policy maker in the South Pacific. His country's new regional focus has engaged Australia in some of Oceania's most demanding areas, and has raised the overall status of the Pacific Islands in international affairs. Rowan Callick interviewed the Prime Minister on Australia's regional strategy for Pacific Magazine.

Pacific Magazine: Australia has stepped up its engagement with the Pacific Islands region during 2003. What were the factors that helped prompt this shift?

PM Howard: Clearly the request from the Solomon Islands for additional assistance and Australia's subsequent role in leading the regional mission stepped up dramatically our engagement. And in respect of Papua New Guinea, our Enhanced Cooperation Program was designed to help address the pressing law and order, economic management and governance problems, which have held back development there for some time. But our active policy approach has been much broader than ad hoc responses to requests for help from one or two countries.

We have been concerned at the increasingly serious economic and broader development challenges facing many Island countries. It is in both Australia's interests and in the interests of our Pacific Island neighbors to strive for a region that is economically viable, politically stable and free from crime. The financial costs and potential threats to Australia from failing states, including transnational crime and international terrorism, would be immense. And of course there is a strong feeling in the Australian community and Government that we have an obligation to assist our close neighbors in the Pacific.

PM: The Solomon Islands commitment appears to have been quite a success so far. Were significant lessons learned from Australia's East Timor involvement, and from other recent deployments of security forces?

Australian Prime Minister John Howard is redefining his country's relations with the Pacific. Photo: AP Wide World Photos

Howard: I agree, the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has achieved considerable success to date. Immediate efforts to restore law and order and stabilize government finances have led to significant improvements on the ground. Life has begun to return to normal, and the aim of creating a new beginning for all Solomon Islanders appears well underway. But we recognize that much work remains to be done.

Obviously our involvement in East Timor is an area of which my Government and I are justifiably proud. In terms of logistics and planning, every deployment provides significant opportunities for learning and improving.

Having said that, the assistance provided to Solomon Islands, and the conditions which necessitated it, are unique. The mission in Solomon Islands is quite different to other recent deployments, especially given the lead role police have played, the comprehensive nature of the assistance being provided and the fact that the operation is being conducted in cooperation with partner nations of the Pacific Islands Forum.

PM: A review is being conducted of the operations of the Pacific Islands Forum. Are there ways in which you believe it can be made more effective? How important is the role of the new Secretary-General, Greg Urwin?

Howard: I was very pleased that fellow Forum leaders agreed to conduct a review of the Forum, including its Secretariat. Australia was one of those countries pushing strongly for such a review and we are very much engaged in the process. The Forum itself represents a significant achievement in regional cooperation and its evolution over three decades is something of which we can all be proud. However, I am concerned to ensure that the Forum positions itself better to assist Island countries to meet increasingly complex governance and security challenges. This is necessary for economic growth and development.

I think the review process so far, particularly the work of the Eminent Persons Group appointed by leaders, has demonstrated a great deal of commonality among Forum members on ways in which the Forum needs to change. I have advocated strongly, at last year's leaders meeting and elsewhere, the need for strengthened regional institutions and pooled governance approaches and I see review of the Forum as an integral part of that. I think the Forum can do better in encouraging closer cooperation and pooling of resources in a range of areas.

Australia is at the moment, for example, conducting a study commissioned by Forum leaders to try to identify options for economically sustainable regional air and shipping arrangements. The Secretariat needs to play a more effective role as a source of policy ideas, solutions and practical assistance to Island countries, particularly the smaller states. It does not, for example, have adequate capacity currently to provide analysis and policy advice in economic governance and reform, institutional strengthening and security.

I think Greg Urwin will be a terrific Secretary-General and his role will be central. Mr. Urwin is a former senior Australian diplomat who has been closely involved in Pacific issues for most of his working life, lives in the South Pacific and feels very strongly about the development of Island countries. As Secretary-General, it will be his responsibility to reshape the Secretariat to respond to priorities identified by leaders. And one of the things that I hope he will be able to do is attract some of the best and brightest young Pacific professionals to work with him for a term or two at the Forum headquarters.

PM: You came under fire, personally, for appearing-in earlier years in your Prime Ministership-to lack interest in the Islands region. Was that fair? How would you characterize the priority in which you presently place your engagement with the Pacific?

Howard: I have always had a very keen interest in the Pacific Islands region. As Prime Minister, different foreign policy and domestic challenges are always competing for my attention. However, I think it's self evident in my remarks and in the actions of my Government that we have a record of strong and continuing engagement in the Pacific. It's a very high priority for us.

PM: Australia commits more aid to the islands (including PNG) than to any other region. Is there a sense in which this has not hit its targets? What can be done to make aid delivery more effective?

Howard: Australia has a very significant aid program in the Pacific totaling an estimated $176 million in 2003-04, not counting our assistance of more than $330 million to PNG. That has been effective in many areas although aid can only ever be part of the solution. The Australian overseas aid program is subject to regular evaluation and review and must demonstrate continual improvement in effectiveness. That is only right and proper and what Australian taxpayers would expect. Our aid program's Pacific regional strategy for the next few years emphasizes improved structures and systems for law and order; accountable and democratic government; and enhanced service delivery as three outcomes critical to growth in the region.

I have made no secret of the fact that we have adopted a firmer policy in relation to requiring high standards of governance and an absence of corruption. We are being quite upfront about that. This is not to minimize the work done by fellow leaders and others in the Pacific or to downplay the gains that have been made over the years. However, we must collectively recognize that unless corruption, wherever it does exist, is rooted out and institutions of good governance strengthened, gains cannot be sustained.

The future stability and prosperity of the South Pacific depends on achieving higher standards of government. Political will to institute the conditions required for sustained economic growth-sound governance, intolerance of corruption and adherence to the rule of law-is central to the Pacific's future. Meeting these challenges requires Pacific states to take a strong leadership role in their own development and I was encouraged by the commitment to this evident at the Forum meeting in Auckland.

PM: The islands are more prone to natural disasters (as we have just seen illustrated in Niue) than most other parts of the world, and have also suffered in recent times from growing disorder. Should the Forum countries consider establishing a permanent force than can respond to both natural and human disasters?

Howard: No. I think the arrangements already in place for responding to natural disasters work well. The France/Australia/New Zealand disaster response arrangements in particular have demonstrated an ability rapidly to deploy assets and supplies. Australia's response to Cyclone Heta in Niue, including our quick deployment of a field hospital, shows that we are well positioned to assist. Regional efforts in Bougainville and the establishment of RAMSI demonstrate that existing mechanisms, now boosted by the Forum's Biketawa declaration, are more than adequate to allow flexible regional responses.

PM: Australia has in 2003 greatly increased its inputs to Solomon Islands and to PNG. How important is it, to have more Australians on the ground, helping in the development process there? And is this a long term or short-term commitment?

Howard: We see it as crucial to have Australian officials on the ground, providing advice and taking up line positions in Solomon Islands agencies. Prior to RAMSI's arrival, many departments, and even the police force, were barely operating. Personnel lacked training, resources and guidance. While the restoration of law and order has improved conditions on the ground, it is important to help re-build capacity throughout the Solomon Islands Government so we can lay a strong foundation for the future. Utilizing Australian expertise is a constructive way of laying this foundation.

We have said from the outset that our commitment to Solomon Islands will be a long-term one. On an agency level, commitments will obviously vary. We have already drawn down Australian Defense Force numbers and will continue to do so as the security situation allows. For the Australian Federal Police (AFP) it is a longer-term commitment. Among other things, rebuilding the Royal Solomon Islands Police is a key part of the AFP's role and this will be a time consuming task. For AusAID, and other civilian personnel, it may be an even longer-term commitment, as we help Solomon Islanders to rebuild their institutions and put in place the conditions that will help create jobs and prosperity. So, from an Australian Government perspective, yes, this is a long-term exercise. We are committed for as long as it takes to get the job done.

Within our Enhanced Cooperation Program agreed with PNG, we will place up to 230 police within the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary and up to 65 senior officials in key economic, finance, justice and border management agencies. We are also strongly committed to a collaborative approach with PNG and to ensuring that our efforts are sustainable in the long run. As appropriate with such a significant venture, we will regularly review priorities and progress.

PM: Is there a danger of Australia being viewed as the "Big Brother" of the islands region, and thus attracting the sort of criticism in the region and back within Australia that may make it harder to sustain your more interventionist policy, over a prolonged period?

Howard: I don't believe so. The Big Brother analogy has had its day. In an era of globalization, the smaller Island countries are increasingly concerned about their future. They look to Australia and others for practical advice, cooperation and assistance. And with the heightened threat of terrorism and other forms of transnational crime, I believe we have a duty to assist the region to meet these new challenges. That's not to say there's a one-size-fits-all solution. We have tailored our responses to individual circumstances and done so in close consultation with our Island partners. When I attend the Pacific Islands Forum meetings, I am struck more by the level of cooperation and mutual understanding than by any concerns about our size or influence. There will always be some critics of what we do, but my Government has built a strong foundation for our future engagement in the region.