MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
McMullan
Today I depart Australia to visit Tonga and Samoa.
This will be the first visit by a member of the Australian Government to Tonga and Samoa since they were devastated by the October tsunami. This visit will reaffirm the strong commitment we have to our friends and neighbours in the Pacific.
My visit to Samoa will focus on the relief efforts being undertaken by the Government of Samoa, Australia and other donor partners. I will visit affected areas to thank recovery workers and visit the Australian High Commission to thank Australian and local staff for their hard work during this difficult time.
In Tonga, I will be accompanying Tongan Government Ministers to the tsunami affected island of Niuatoputapu. I will be overseeing where Australia's humanitarian relief supplies are being used and meeting recipients of Australian aid.
Whilst in Tonga I will be representing Australia at the sixth Conference of the Pacific Community.
The Conference is a bi-annual meeting of 22 Pacific Island countries and territories focussed on providing a forum through which participants can discuss areas such as health, agriculture, human development, forestry and fisheries.
The theme of this year's Conference is 'Maximising impacts of regional programs at a national level.' Along with other Pacific leaders, I will be discussing ways to improve the impact of development assistance in the Pacific. These discussions will build upon the progress already made as part of the Cairns Compact, which was signed at the Pacific Islands Forum in August this year.