Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister becomes first Pacific leader to address Australia's Parliament

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape on February 8 became the first Pacific leader to address Australia’s Parliament, vowing “nothing will come in between our two countries”.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape on February 8 became the first Pacific leader to address Australia's Parliament, vowing “nothing will come in between our two countries”.

The nations announced that Australia will spend AUD 100 million ($65.3 million) on Papua New Guinea's internal security, including the development of a police recruiting and investigation training facility and a police barracks.

The speech, Mr. Marape's meeting with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese and the neighbours' release of details of a security pact signed in December, come as Pacific nations deal with China's growing ambitions.

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Resource-rich Papua New Guinea has rebuffed overtures from China, which struck a security pact with the Solomon Islands in 2022 that caused worry among some in the region.

Papua New Guinea, which is in a strategically important part of the South Pacific, struggles with tribal violence and civil unrest and wants to increase its police numbers from 6,000 officers to 26,000. Anger over high unemployment and cost of living led to rioting and looting last month in its two biggest cities.

Papua New Guinea and Australia “reaffirmed their commitment to the region's existing security architecture as a key driver of security cooperation”, a joint statement between Mr. Marape and Mr. Albanese said.