Australian Development Policy Centre director
Stephen Howes has described the Ross Garnaut episode as “ a sad commentary” on
the part of both Australia and Papua New Guinea governments.
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| Stephen Howes |
“First, it is remarkable just how little attention
this issue has received given the stakes involved,” he said.
“ Not only is Ok Tedi by far PNG’s largest
contributor to government revenue, and
an environmental challenge which needs to be managed with care, but it is an
operation in relation to which decisions have to be made about
mine-life-extension in the next couple of years.
“Second, and more importantly, there is an issue of
freedom of speech here.
“People should be able to criticise freely whichever
country they want.
“ Individuals should be no more banned for critical
comments from countries they don’t belong to than locked up for criticising
their country of citizenship.
“Third, where is Australia in all this?
“The only public response of the Australian government
has been from parliamentary secretary for Pacific Island affairs, Richard
Marles, quoted as saying that ‘Papua New Guinea was within its rights to block
entry to Professor Garnaut’ and that ‘who PNG says is welcome or not in its own
country is obviously a matter for PNG’.
“ Really?
“Observance of human rights is now entirely a
domestic issue for PNG?
“ We insist on democracy in Fiji but not free speech
in PNG?
“Australia has no obligation to support its citizens
to undertake lawful business opportunities internationally?
“It is hard not to see Manus behind Australia’s lack
of protest.”
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