Abbott seizes on PNG's rejection of key planks of asylum deal

by: Joe Kelly

From: The Australian

August 17, 2013

 

 

TONY Abbott has seized on Papua New Guinea's denial of key elements of Labor's asylum-seeker policy, accusing Kevin Rudd of being prepared to say anything to get elected.

Speaking in Western Australia, the Opposition Leader said PNG leader Peter O'Neill had "flatly contradicted" Mr Rudd's declaration that PNG would settle all asylum-seekers deemed to be refugees and that none would make it to Australia.
"You just can't trust this prime minister," Mr Abbott said during a visit to the seat of Hasluck, held by Liberal MP Ken Wyatt.
Mr O'Neill said there was no agreement for PNG to re-settle genuine asylum-seekers after processing on Manus Island and that many would end up in Australia.
"There is no agreement that all genuine refugees will be settled in PNG," he said.
PNG would work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to engage with other countries willing to take part in resettling those refugees, Mr O'Neill said.
"That includes Australia, New Zealand and all the other countries who are signatories to the UN conventions on refugees."
Mr O'Neill said he believed Australia had an annual quota to settle about 20,000 refugees.
"Under that process, they will get some and New Zealand has indicated they would take some."
Mr Rudd has insisted there is "one simple principle" in his new regime - that all asylum-seekers arriving by boat would be diverted to PNG and settled there if found to be genuine refugees.
Mr Abbott said Mr O'Neill's comments showed that Mr Rudd had broken the trust of voters.
"Prime Minister Peter O'Neill of PNG has flatly contradicted Mr Rudd on the PNG arrangements," Mr Abbott said.
"Many of those who go to PNG will ultimately have to come to Australia. You just can't trust this Prime Minister. You just can't trust this Prime Minister.
"He will say anything if he thinks it's going to get him a headline tomorrow.
"But when you look at the fine print, when you listen to people actually explain what it all means, it turns out to be very very different from what the Prime Minister said."
Mr O'Neill also derided federal opposition claims that refugees would seek to use PNG as a pathway to Australia.
"It is certainly an overreaction," he said.

with AAP

Rudd stands by asylum-seeker deal after call to PNG leader O'Neill

by: Sid Maher and Joe Kelly

From: The Australian

August 17, 2013

 

KEVIN Rudd has declared his Papua New Guinea asylum-seeker policy stands after a phone call with his PNG counterpart Peter O'Neill this morning.

The Prime Minister called Mr O'Neill after the PNG leader was reported as casting doubt on key elements of the policy.
Mr O'Neill had said there was no agreement for PNG to re-settle genuine asylum-seekers after processing on Manus Island and that many would end up in Australia.
Tony Abbott seized on Mr O'Neill's apparent denial of the central planks of Labor's policy, accusing Mr Rudd of being prepared to say anything to get elected.
Speaking in Western Australia, the Opposition Leader said Mr O'Neill had ``flatly contradicted'' Mr Rudd's declaration that PNG would settle all asylum-seekers deemed to be refugees and that none would make it to Australia.
``You just can't trust this prime minister,'' Mr Abbott said during a visit to the seat of Hasluck, held by Liberal MP Ken Wyatt.

Start of sidebar.

Mr Rudd today reaffirmed that Labor's policy was that no-one who arrived by boat in Australia without a visa would be settled in Australia.
It is understood the two leaders spoke by phone again this morning.
``Our policy is clear cut,'' Mr Rudd said.
He said the policy was supported by both the governments of Australia and PNG.
``I draw your attention to the regional resettlement arrangement which says persons found to be refugees will be settled in PNG and other participating regional states, including Pacific Island states.
``That what we agreed to. That's what we support now. That support continues to the present and that has been confirmed as late as today.''
He said Australia and PNG had spent more than a month negotiating the detail of the agreement.
And the government of PNG had confirmed again today that it stood by the agreement.
Earlier Mr O'Neill had said PNG would work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to engage with other countries willing to take part in resettling those refugees, Mr O'Neill said.
``That includes Australia, New Zealand and all the other countries who are signatories to the UN conventions on refugees.''
Mr O'Neill said he believed Australia had an annual quota to settle about 20,000 refugees.
``Under that process, they will get some and New Zealand has indicated they would take some.''
Mr Rudd has insisted there is ``one simple principle'' in his new regime that all asylum-seekers arriving by boat would be diverted to PNG and settled there if found to be genuine refugees.
Mr Abbott said Mr O'Neill's comments showed that Mr Rudd had broken the trust of voters.
``Prime Minister Peter O'Neill of PNG has flatly contradicted Mr Rudd on the PNG arrangements,'' Mr Abbott said.
``Many of those who go to PNG will ultimately have to come to Australia. You just can't trust this Prime Minister. You just can't trust this Prime Minister.
``He will say anything if he thinks it's going to get him a headline tomorrow.
``But when you look at the fine print, when you listen to people actually explain what it all means, it turns out to be very very different from what the Prime Minister said.''
Mr O'Neill also derided federal opposition claims that refugees would seek to use PNG as a pathway to Australia.
``It is certainly an overreaction,'' he said.

Talks fail between Exxon, InterOil for stake in PNG fields - report

Aug 16 (Reuters) - Shares of InterOil Corp fell 6 percent after a news website said the company's negotiations with Exxon Mobil Corp to develop liquefied natural gas fields in Papua New Guinea ended without a deal.

Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, failed to close a deal to buy into InterOil's license in Elk and Antelope fields, PNG Industry News reported on Friday, citing sources

 

InterOil was in talks to sell a stake in its license to ExxonMobil Papua New Guinea Ltd, potentially expanding Exxon's $19 billion Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas (PNG LNG) project.
Exxon spokesman Patrick McGinn told Reuters the company does not comment on commercial discussions. InterOil could not be reached for comment.
Queensland, Australia-based InterOil received the license in November 2010, which covers nine blocks surrounding the Elk and Antelope fields. The company has petroleum licenses covering about 3.9 million acres in the country.
The talks also included funding of InterOil and its partner Pacific LNG to drill additional delineation wells in the fields

InterOil says talks with Exxon ongoing over PNG gas fields

Aug 16 (Reuters) - InterOil Corp and ExxonMobil Corp remain in talks to jointly develop InterOil's Elk and Antelope natural gas fields in Papua New Guinea, InterOil said on Friday after a website reported negotiations had ended without an agreement.
InterOil's shares fell as much as 12 percent following the report in PNG Industry News
The news service, citing an unidentified source, said the talks were "dead" and that ExxonMobil's exclusive period for negotiations had ended.
InterOil, responding to a query from the New York Stock Exchange, said its policy was to not comment on market speculation or negotiations. But it added: "Negotiations with ExxonMobil Papua New Guinea Ltd regarding an agreement to monetize the Elk and Antelope fields are ongoing."
ExxonMobil spokesman Patrick McGinn declined to comment.
ExxonMobil needs gas for its $19 billion Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas (PNG LNG) project.
InterOil, which has its headquarters in Cairns, Australia, was awarded the license to develop the fields in November 2010. The license covers nine blocks surrounding the Elk and Antelope fields.
The talks also included funding of InterOil and its partner Pacific LNG to drill additional delineation wells in the fields.
InterOil shares were down 5 percent at $70.38 in early afternoon trading.

PNG denies Labor's refugee claims

Nine MSN

August 17, 2013

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill with Australian PM Kevin Rudd. (AAP)

PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has told Fairfax Media he has not agreed to settle all asylum seekers who are found to be refugees after processing on Manus Island.
And he says Australia will need to take back a share of them.
"There is no agreement that all genuine refugees will be settled in PNG," he said.
PNG would work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to engage with other countries willing to take part in resettling those refugees, Mr O'Neill told Fairfax.
"That includes Australia, New Zealand and all the other countries who are signatories to the UN conventions on refugees."
Mr O'Neill said he believed Australia had an annual quota to settle about 20,000 refugees.
"Under that process, they will get some and New Zealand has indicated they would take some."
Mr Rudd has insisted there is "one simple principle" in his new regime - that all asylum seekers arriving by boat would be diverted to PNG and settled there if found to be genuine refugees.
Mr O'Neill derided federal opposition claims that refugees would seek to use PNG as a pathway to Australia.
"It is certainly an overreaction,'' he said.

Why hasn't any action been taken against this person?

NEC decision stands (Post-Courier, April 17, 2012)

By PATRICK TALU

THE National Executive Council decision to reject InterOil Corp in developing the Gulf LNG project is final.
Prime Minster Peter O’Neill yesterday denied releasing any statement in support of the project.
Mr O’Neill was surprised to read of himself being quoted as “PM: NEC has not rejected LNG’s 2nd LNG project’ on this paper and “PM says development will go ahead’ as quoted in The National yesterday.
The Post-Courier understood that the statement was released by Susuve Laumaea who is on the Prime Minister’s staff and indicated that it was approved for release by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.
The statement which was released by Mr Laumaea read “Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says Interoil Corporation’s LNG project development in PNG’s Gulf Province will go ahead when all pre-conditons set by government and the 2009 Project Agreement are fully satisfied.
Mr O’Neill said yesterday there is no National Executive Council decision rejecting the Gulf LNG project.
He reiterated his earlier statement in August last year that the government under his watch would assist InterOil to secure a strategic operating partner, re-scope the project agreement to enable phased LNG development, and to locate the project in Gulf Province.
Mr O’Neill has directed the Ministry and Department of Petroleum and Energy to cooperate with InterOil and desist from confusing the investment community and Gulf Province government and landowners with media statements about rejection of the project.”
It was understood Mr O’Neill was furious with Mr Laumaea, who is a former employee of InterOil, for framing the statement without the knowledge and authorisation of him.
A copy of the NEC decision No NG37/2011 in which Mr O’Neill himself signed as the NEC Chairman stated, “on the 21st of September 2011, National Executive Council, rejected the Gulf Project as proposed by LNGL/InterOil as it would be an inefficient use of the State’s gas resources and is inconsistent with the Project Agreement.”
The NEC decision further stated, “endorsed the views of the Minister for Petroleum and Energy in relation to the status of the Project Agreement, the PPFL, the PDL and PRL 15; endorsed the actions taken to date by the Minister for Petroleum and Energy,
Department of Petroleum and Energy and Petromin to ensure that LNGL/InterOil develop the LNGL Project in accordance with the Project Agreement; and endorsed the actions proposed to be taken by the Minister for Petroleum and Energy to ensure that the gas resources of PNG are developed according to the Project Agreement, in particular, if LNGL/InterOil proceeds with the Gulf Project, and takes a final investment decision in relation to any of the projects that make up the Gulf Project or otherwise commits a repudiatory breach of the Project Agreement.
A spokesperson of an interested party in the project also expressed concern that the project has taken too long saying; “we have put in money for this project as well and it’s not good being dragged on for a long time.

The National: Still PNG’s No.1 daily

Source: The National, Friday August 16th, 2013

THE National has taken a giant leap ahead of Post Courier in the April-June period of the year, increasing by more than 11,000 copies a day over the previous quarter.
Our circulation in the April-June period averaged 63,331 copies a day while the Post Courier dropped to 25,387 copies from 27,032 in January-March.

In the first quarter, we averaged 52,234 copies as we rationalised our distribution and reporting procedures.
The second quarter figures were recently released by Australia’s Audit Bureau of Circulation, which independently verifies and reports on the performance of media organisations.
The National has been Papua New Guinea’s number one daily newspaper for the past five and a half years and remains the undisputed leader in all of the urban centres.
We now outsell the Post by 2.5 copies to one.
Transportation, mostly via air, continues to be the biggest obstacle to more robust growth. Despite this The National has maintained the same cover price since the first newspaper rolled off the press in November 1992 with only one adjustment to cover freight charges.
The National sells for K1 in Port Moresby and K1.50 in all other centers.
We publish five times a week, printing simultaneously out of two presses in Port Moresby and Lae.