New Minister Makes Statement of Policy
pp. 77-78 · Read in the full issue
Australia And South Pacific Territories
IN the course of a statement on Aus tralia’s international relationships, made in Parliament in March, the Australian Minister for External Affairs and External Territories, Mr, P, C.
Spender, said that the following (ex tracted from an official report) was Aus tralia’s policy towards (a) Papua-New Guinea (b) other Islands groups im mediately north and northeast of Aus tralia and (c) the Islands generally of the South and Southwest Pacific:—
Future Of New Guinea
IRRESPECTIVE of whether or not a regional defence pact . . . should turn out to be feasible, Australia has a duty to itself which must not be neg lected. This is the duty of ensuring by every means open to us that in the island areas immediately adjacent to Australia, in whatever direction they lie, nothing takes place that can in any way offer a threat to Australian security, either in the short or the long term.
These islands are, as experience has shown, our last ring of defence against aggression, and Australia must be vitally concerned with whatever changes take place in them. It is not to be assumed by anyone that should fundamental changes take place in any of these areas, Australia would adopt a purely passive role.
I have in mind particularly, but not exclusively, New Guinea, which is an absolutely essential link in the chain of Australian defence. The Australian people are deeply interested in what happens anywhere in New Guinea.
As regards Australian New Guinea it is our duty to ensure that it is administered and developed in a way best calculated to protect the welfare of the native in habitants and at the same time to serve Australia’s security interests.
Honourable Members will recall that an unofficial spokesman in Indonesia recently declared that Australian New Guinea should be incorporated in Indonesia. I thought it desirable to make an immedi ate rebuttal of any such claim, and I was pleased to see that the Indonesian Government lost no time in disclaiming that it enjoyed any official support.
Timor-New Hebrides-New
Caledonia
NEW GUINEA happens to be the largest and most important of those island areas that are of direct con cern to us.
But in the same way we cannot be passive observers of any developments in Timor, the New Hebrides and New Cale donia that might have unwelcome con sequences for Australia.
But that is negative; we are prepared positively to join with the governments of these countries in arrangements of mutual economic and security benefit.
There is no question of interference in the affairs of others; it is simply a matter of common prudence and mutual co operation.
South Pacific Commission
I SHOULD like now to extend the horizon, in a slightly different con text, to the South and Southwest Pacific. We propose to continue and de velop the co-operation that has been es tablished with our neighbours who are responsible for the administration of territories in the area.
The South Pacific Commission, which is representative of the Governments of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands and Australia, is a tangible and effective form of such co-operation.
The objectives of the Commission are the social and economic development of the non-self-governing territories administered by the Governments mentioned. The Commission is not concerned with de fence or political matters.
The economic and social development of the territories in the area is vital to each territory and has a wider signifi cance for the future advancement and
peace of the whole Pacific area. The ex perience of co-operation in the Commis sion may also have lessons which could be applied in other areas important to Aus tralia.
The work of organising the Commission is now virtually completed and experts are already engaged in field work in the territories, examining problems of educa tion, including technical training-, eco nomic development and health, with a view to making recommendations to the member Governments.
These recommendations will undoubt edly be helpful to the Governments and Administrations. We stand to gain from them because New Guinea and Papua are tlie largest and most populous of the South Pacific territories and their devel opmental problems are formidable.
The Australian Government alone is responsible for action taken in its terri tories, but the advice of the Commission on the questions within the scope of its proper functions will be welcomed and we will support it and co-operate in its work.
Representatives of the native peoples of the Australian territories will be attend ing a South Pacific Conference which is to be held in Suva in April under the auspices of the Commission. Here, for the first time in history, representatives of the peoples of these territories will meet together, along with their adminis tering authorities, to learn what is being done for them by the Commission and by their governments, and to make what ever comments or suggestions they wish.