Address to the Public Services International Outlook Conference
Acknowledgement
Thank you David Carey. (PSI Regional Co-chair Oceania)
Introduction
I am delighted to be here today to address the Oceania regional meeting of Public Services International (PSI).
The PSI performs a valuable role in campaigning on behalf of public sector workers in our region. I applaud you for this work and for the vital role you and your colleagues play in nation-building.
Through your important contribution to building good governance you are helping deliver prosperity, better health and education, and stronger justice systems. In helping to build stronger nations you are also contributing to national and regional security.
Importance of the public sector
Strong public sectors are essential for the provision of
core services to your communities and are a prerequisite for
the development of successful free-market democracies. When the
public sector is weak it is difficult for other key
institutions to emerge effectively. Getting the machinery right
allows private and non-government sectors to
flourish.
Private sector development will be key to the long-term prosperity of the Pacific region. Private sector development promotes economic growth and is a source of wealth, competition, innovation and knowledge. It is the private sector that will create the jobs and incomes that will sustain Pacific nations.
Over time the private sector will provide the best opportunity to create a tax base to fund the development of programs that your communities expect and deserve, and will facilitate the funding of infrastructure for tackling social and environment challenges.
Economic prosperity requires private investment but prosperity can only be achieved when the public sector delivers confidence of governance to investors. In this room today, therefore, are those who are key to delivering prosperity to their nations.
The public sector also has a central role to play in the direct delivery of essential services such as education and health. This vital delivery function cannot be overstated, particularly when it comes to developing nations; successful free-market democracies around the globe have developed from economic models where the public sector has played an important unifying role in education and health.
A strong public sector improves and sustains the legal, judicial and regulatory environment. Commitment and engagement will be crucial in promoting governance and competition, fostering micro-economic opportunity and ensuring macro-economic stability.
To achieve these goals, your countries and the region as a whole relies on you here today to strengthen institutions by promoting good governance and ensuring services are delivered efficiently and effectively.
By governance, I mean giving the best, well-founded and technically competent advice; making fair, impartial decisions and implementing government policy in an efficient, competent and non-partisan manner.
But good governance is not a one-way street. As public servants you are entitled to expect to be treated with respect for your important contribution; reasonable remuneration within the means of your nation’s capacity and decent conditions of employment.
Good governance is essential to reducing poverty and creating sustainable development. Where governance is poor corruption can creep in and in such conditions inequality and social breakdown thrive.
Public sectors work best when they provide fearless, independent advice. Elected governments are entitled to your loyal service but you are servants of your nations, not of political, individual or corporate interests and it is when public servants know the difference that they best serve their country.
As public servants you are crucial to developing long-term, sustainable solutions to the challenges facing your countries and our region. But you won’t face the challenges alone. Australia will support your efforts and celebrate your achievements.
Our New Partnerships
The Australian Government is committed to a new policy approach in the Pacific. It is based on courtesy and respect and is grounded in forging true partnerships between Australia and our Pacific neighbours.
During my two recent visits to the Pacific I was struck by the many challenges our Pacific neighbours continue to face. But I was also struck by the openness to reform and delivery of sustainable solutions.
Our Government’s Pacific Partnerships policy will be based on our wanting to define common interests and mutual understanding. It will not be a one-size fits all approach. Our Government understands that each country in the region faces its own particular challenges and has its own priorities and that these must be reflected in our policy approach.
One of our objectives will be to help make the public sectors in our region more robust and flexible. Our vision is that institutions in Pacific nations will be strengthened so they can deliver effectively. Then, over time, external advisers including those from Australia, can be progressively withdrawn.
For now, the role of external advisers throughout the
Pacific is important. We recognise, however, that they are
relatively privileged in terms of the opportunities afforded
them. As a result we will ask that they appreciate the
importance of respecting local cultures as they undertake their
roles.
The success of the Pacific Partnerships will depend upon public servants such as you. Successful service delivery, private sector development and non-government sector relations will lie in part with your ability to manage the processes involved. You will be crucial in ensuring the Pacific Partnerships pay the highest dividends.
There is a tremendous amount of work to be done. Some of it has begun and is already yielding results.
Our Government is providing assistance to police forces and judicial systems. We are assisting in the fight against corruption from outside sources, including through efforts to combat trans-national crime.
As public servants you know corruption has a substantial and negative impact on economic growth and development. Corruption weakens institutions and the legitimacy of governments and has the potential to undermine security in our region.
The costs of corruption fall disproportionately on the poor. The World Bank has estimated that, over the long-term, countries that tackle corruption and improve the rule of law can increase national incomes as much as four times.
Australia is working closely with its Pacific neighbours on the challenges of promoting stability and economic development.
I would like to mention three examples where Australia is working closely in partnership with public servants in the Pacific.
In the Solomon Islands one immediate benefit of the regional effort under RAMSI was that public servants were paid in full and on time, after long periods of trying to make do without their salaries. This meant the doctors, nurses, teachers and public servants playing essential roles in the provision of basic services – and in the areas of finance, budgeting and the courts - could get on with their jobs.
This illustrates the way in which the partnerships which we seek should empower professionals to invest their skills and efforts in promoting social welfare, stability and economic growth.
In PNG, some forty Australian advisers are working alongside their PNG public service colleagues.
Together they are developing skills and enabling local officers to fulfil their potential. As in the Solomon Islands, those PNG public servants are playing a crucial role in promoting confidence in the machinery of government. They are building Papua New Guinea’s future.
In Vanuatu we are working in close partnership with public servants in the Governance for Growth program. This partnership has helped deliver important reform outcomes and liberalised the country’s telecommunications sector.
As part of our new partnerships approach our Government is also considering the issues of labour mobility and labour up-skilling.
The Australian Government fully understands the region’s interest in labour mobility and the possibility of the introduction of a seasonal guest worker scheme.
This is a complex issue for Australia and I want to stress that no decision has yet been made. We are monitoring the progress of the New Zealand scheme and will discuss this trial with Australian stakeholders and our Pacific neighbours before reaching a conclusion.
But we are in no doubt about the importance many Pacific Island countries have attached to this issue.
With regards to up-skilling, everyone recognises there is a regional shortage of trained technical personnel, including public servants, to fill key roles in the Pacific and together we need to develop sound plans to overcome this.
Trade
The development of trade is another key plank in our Pacific
Partnerships strategy. Trade is a vital route out of
poverty and trade growth offers enormous potential to lift the
social and economic conditions of Pacific nations. We
know that countries that open themselves up to trade and
investment grow faster than those that do not.
Opening the doors to trade can be difficult, particularly when powerful domestic interests seek to protect the status quo. We do not underestimate the challenges we all face in promoting free trade and we stand ready to help if required. It is only in the past quarter-century that Australia’s own trade barriers have come down, often in the face of strong resistance.
Free trade might not always be in the private interests of a few but it is in the national interest of the many. The evidence is overwhelming—open trade opens the door to economic prosperity. If there are transition costs then Australia’s experience of dealing with these issues may be useful to draw upon.
Pacific nations are important trading partners for Australia. Trade between Australia and the rest of the region has reached almost $6.8 billion. Australia’s objective is for trade development in our region to be a win-win framework which builds economic prosperity and regional security.
Wealth is built on the breadth and choice of markets that we
can sell to and buy from. Fostering freer trade flows
will see Pacific nations boost economic growth, reduce
dependency, and develop a more prosperous and sustainable
future.
Trade means jobs and money flowing into households. Along with growing private sector development and public sector reform, trade is a vital pathway to prosperity. Prosperity is crucial in paying for the services and infrastructure the people of Pacific nations need, and which the public sector will be expected to deliver.
Conclusion
Our Government has consciously changed Australia’s tone and focus with respect to our Pacific neighbours. We welcome the positive reception this new approach has received, both at home and abroad.
Australia, through Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and myself, as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, is engaged with the Pacific in a way that has not been done for many years.
We are absolutely committed to striking productive partnerships that will deliver long-term, sustainable solutions for our neighbours.
As public servants you will be called upon to help us
develop these partnerships to your nations. We ask that
you implement the changes required so that results are
delivered for your countries and their peoples. We look
to you to implement policies that address the needs of those
who are most vulnerable to poverty.
You will be key players in helping your governments account for the use of public resources in the public interest. We look to you to provide efficient, direct services to your communities and to help promote the stability required to attract investment that will better harness the benefits of trade.
I look forward to working closely with you and your Australian colleagues as, together, we forge new partnerships across the Pacific.
Thank you.
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