Australia will negotiate

By a staff writer

The Australian Government’s position, stated several times in re cent years, was reiterated by Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Willesee in the Senate on October 2 in reply to a question about progress in negotia tions between the two countries about Torres Strait. Senator Willesee said: “We remain committed to negotiat ing with Papua New Guinea on the distribution of resources and the division of jurisdiction in the Torres Strait. In so doing we seek to accom modate the interests of all the parties affected Papua New Guinea, Queensland, Australia, and, of course, the Torres Strait Islanders them selves.”

In April, 1974, the Queensland Premier, Mr Johannes Bjelke-Petersen, proposed an international park for the Torres Strait area, which would pro tect the environment and control com mercial activities. Officials of the Australian and Queensland govern ments were discussing an environ mentally-protected zone along those lines.

Now that Papua New Guinea is independent, it is a matter for the PNG and Australian governments to negotiate a treaty, and Mr Bjelke- Petersen had endorsed that approach.

Mr Somare has expressed confidence that the Australian and Queensland governments would come to some common agreement to agree with

Png.

“The Australian Government is keen to reach agreement with Papua New Guinea and has every expecta tion of progress towards the resolu tion of this issue as soon as the constitutional problems are over come,” Senator Willesee concluded.

Australia’s control over the present area goes back to 1879, before there was a government of Australia. The Queensland Parliament, in that year, enacted a bill which acquired all the land south of the present border.

Since federation in 1901, Australia has legislated for the traditional three mile limit, plus a 12-mile fishing zone and rights to resources of the conti nental shelf.