Pacific Relations - Matter of Public Importance Speech

The Howard government’s relationships with our Pacific neighbours have reflected a continuing pattern of inattention and failure interspersed with occasional bursts of belated and sometimes unsuccessful frenetic activity. We hear the Minister for Foreign Affairs trying to reshape the question to say that our criticism of the way he has handled the matter equals support for the actions of people overseas—that we are supporting the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea against Australia. Our concern is not that the Australian government has acted, but that it has acted incompetently. Our concern is not that the Australian government has spoken up about matters, but that it has spoken up in a manner that has been counterproductive.