This week I will travel to Papua New Guinea to represent Australia at the United States-Pacific Island Dialogue, to be co-hosted by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister the Hon James Marape MP and US Secretary of State the Hon Antony J. Blinken.
This will be my fourth visit to Papua New Guinea as Minister for International Development and the Pacific, reflecting the Australian Government's deep commitment to the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea and the special bond between our people.
The United States-Pacific Island Dialogue is the first of its kind to be held in-person in the Pacific and underscores the strong ties between the United States and the members of the Pacific Islands Forum.
The Australian Government welcomes greater engagement from the United States in support of Pacific priorities and institutions.
I look forward to meeting with Pacific leaders in the sidelines of the dialogue and re‑emphasising Australia's commitment to the prosperity and stability of our region.
As part of our commitment to strengthening our people-to-people links, I will also meet Papua New Guinean aged care workers who will travel to Australia to take up employment under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme.
During my visit, I will reinforce Australia's support for the Rugby League Voice Against Violence program which contributes to combatting domestic violence in PNG.
Recognising the importance of healthy reefs and oceans to the Pacific family, I will also announce Australia's $6.6 million investment in a new phase of the Reefcloud project, which will improve monitoring and management of coral reefs for Pacific island communities.
