MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Billson
More than eight and a half million Pacific Islanders are expected to be counted with Australian assistance in the 2010 Pacific census, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Bruce Billson, announced today during the 7th Parliamentary Forum in Suva.
'Australian expertise and funding of $1 million over three years, will help seven Pacific Island countries and territories, including Kiribati, Tonga, Niue, Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tokelau, conduct national population and housing censuses,' Mr Billson said.
'Census details can make a real difference to improving people's lives as it greatly assists national and regional policy makers plan for a better future with a major stock-take of current development.
'Although some countries in the Pacific have a capacity to conduct censuses, many of the smaller countries struggle to produce reliable statistics that are critical to helping many Pacific communities realise their potential,' Mr Billson said.
'Important development progress is being made in the Pacific, including longer life expectancy, yet there are still many vulnerable fragile states that need quality data to tackle challenges.
'The Australian Government's long-term development plan Pacific Regional Aid Strategy 2004-09, stresses that planning must be based on sound analysis of the development situation which this census aims to provide,' Mr Billson said.
'The project will be supported by the Australian Government's overseas aid agency AusAID, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
'Australia has increased its aid budget this year to almost $2.5 billion and will contribute about $460 million, almost one fifth of the budget, to important development initiatives in the Pacific,' Mr Billson said.
The Pacific Parliamentary Forum aims to strengthen governance in the Pacific by giving elected public officials the opportunity to discuss public leadership issues. The Forum is organised by the Centre for Democratic Institutions, based at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Media contact:
Shane Fairlie (Mr Billson's office) 0408 680 442
AusAID (Public Affairs) 0417 680 590