Minister Burke press remarks
I am pleased to have joined my friend and counterpart, the Hon Ioane Naivalurua, Minister of Police and Communications in Fiji, in co-hosting the first ever Pacific Police Ministers' Meeting, as part of the Pacific Transnational Crime Summit here in Momi Bay.
We proudly joined our counterpart Ministers responsible for policing from: (American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu), and other Senior Government Officials representing (France, Kiribati and Vanuatu).
We came together today with Pacific police chiefs, regional security and industry experts, in recognition of the growing threats that transnational organised crime is having to the collective peace and security of our region.
Last year, Pacific Islands Forum Leaders called for a coordinated response to transnational crime. We are here to answer that call.
Ministers today agreed to report to Leaders in Palau on the outcomes of today's meeting, which my friend Minister Naivalurua will speak to in a moment. Following the success of today's meeting, we have agreed to ask Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to consider the role of police ministers in the region's broader security architecture.
Today's meeting demonstrated the Pacific can meet its own security needs. It built on a long history of cooperation in the Pacific policing sector, finding practical solutions to new and emerging challenges. We look forward to meeting again next year.
Forums like these demonstrate the power of Pacific regionalism - we are stronger and safer together.
And can I just say, speaking on behalf of the Australian Government, Australia stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our fellow Pacific partners in combating transnational crime and stopping drug trafficking in the Pacific.
Minister Naivalurua press remarks
On behalf of the other minister present, we are pleased to announce a number of outcomes that have been agreed on the way forward to collectively combat this issue of transnational organised crime to our region and respond to our Leaders' calls.
Ministers have agreed today to strengthen Pacific-led, collective and coordinated responses to transnational crime in line with the Pacific Islands Forum Transnational Organised Crime Disruption Strategy.
This includes bringing forward the development of an intelligence-led, maritime security response to transnational crime. We have asked Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to consider this mechanism when they meet in Palau this year.
I thank Minister Burke, who has offered to support this initiative through the Pacific Policing Initiative's Pinkenba Hub in Brisbane, which is already building policing capability across the region. I look forward to developing this concept further with Australia and Pacific partners ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
Ministers also agreed to strengthen information sharing on criminal networks and to progress greater alignment of legal, legislative and policy frameworks across the region to address transnational organised crime, including offences, investigative powers, mutual legal assistance and proceeds of crime responses.
Our lives and livelihoods have been threatened by transnational criminals. They seek to poison our communities. I was pleased to work with colleagues across the region today in responding to this threat and ensuring our Pacific remains an Ocean of Peace.
