Australia and Samoa start at high note

Written by Cherelle Jackson
Thursday, 07 February 2008
Kerr: Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Pacific Island Affairs) in Samoa last week “It’s not like it’s been picked up from the trash,” Duncan Kerr. The new Australian Government is starting relations with Samoa on a fairly good note, according to the new Parliamentary Secretary of Pacific Island Affairs Duncan Kerr. “Its not like it’s been picked up from the trash, were picking up from a reasonably high note, were starting from a much stronger note and it will continue from an ongoing stability to good regional relations,” Kerr said. In an interview with Newsline, Kerr, the newly appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Pacific regional position in Australia expressed his hopes about his position and the fostering of relations between Samoa and Australia. Asked as to the nature of the relationship between Australia and Samoa, and the previous bully image purported by the previous administration in the region Kerr defended the actions of his nation saying: “We have made it very plain that we want to work as partners in a region where we have common interests, there’s no doubt that economically Australia is the most powerful of those regional countries, so we shouldn’t kid ourselves that the tone that we use wont sometime be resented.” He added: “There is no doubt that sometimes were seen as condescending, sometimes heavy handed, but were determined to remedy that to the greatest decree we can.” Kerr warned though that when it comes down to issues that matter, Australia will assume a strict attitude. “Sometimes Australia won’t have perfectly legitimate reasons for pursuing its own national interest, which may come into conflict with one or more of the Pacific Island Nations,” Kerr said. Told that he had just stated a contradiction between acting in partnership with the region and promoting national interest at the expense of island interests he responded: “I’m simply saying that broadly I think we can find that there will be far more areas where we will have agreement than otherwise, but there may be occasions where we may reach a point where we do disagree, but lets manage that with respect, lets try to minimise that and when it does happen lets try to deal with those differences with respect.” According to Kerr, Australia has its job cut out in Samoa. “With Samoa there has not been any of the kind of tension that has been manifested as in some of the other relationships, very obvious for example the Solomons,” Kerr said. Asked as to why Samoa was chosen as a first visit, Kerr said the Police Headquarters was an obvious reason. “This is pretty symbolic project because what it shows is that you can develop a sectoral plan where you prioritise where it needs and requires assistance, secondly you can do it in a sustainable way, working out to regional design focussing not just on taking an Australian design and blonking it down, like a design that has worked somewhere else, but working out a design that is specific to the needs of the place in which its going to be operating,” he said. The project which spanned years after the initial Institutional Strengthening Project also funded in part by the Australian Aid Programme was finally opened last week much to the delight of the Samoan Government. According to Kerr Australias emergency responses in the region should never be limited to crisis situations, as they are known for in the region. “You have to make emergent responses, we don’t want to make everything that we do in our region responding to the bad news stories, we want to also say look where successes are being manifested, that’s a reason to make certain that we continue to work together reinforcing that success, not penalising, so its not a bad thing to do to go to a place where you have got quite a few of those instances,” Kerr said. Despite the admirable image Samoa displays to the region, Kerr says there are still issues that need attention. “There is no perfect nation state in the world, Australia included, so Samoa does have ongoing issues that needs to deal with and will wish to work with Australias assistance on,” he said. Issues in health and education will be included in future projects between the two countries according to Kerr. Comments (1) Subscribe to this comment's feed Yes the Solomon Islands!! written by Samoan fella, February 07, 2008 The Past Australia Have they changed?.............The White Australia policy was the foundation for Australian nationalism; and the Immigration Restriction Act was the first substantial piece of legislation debated and passed by the new Federal Parliament. Fear of China and then fear of Japan profoundly shaped Australian politics for most of the twentieth century. White Australia racism was a key element used by the ruling class and the right wing within the Labor party, in their battle against working class militancy and socialist politics.........They like New Zealand fear the role China and the EU can have in the Pacific. The Pacific nations are the last frontier, strategically and economically......Coconut oil !! Sounds crazy? I may be! But so too was the thought of our oil running out!! Remember Hubbard and his prediction? They laughed at him! 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Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 February 2008 )

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