Download Annual Report 2011-2012 - Governor-General of the ...

Report on performanceThe Governor-Generalinspects a police guardof honour in Apia,Samoa on 30 March 2012The Governor-General joins traditional dancers at a StateLunch in Funafuti, Tuvalu on 29 March 2012The program for the Governor-General’s visitto eight Pacific island nations in March–April2012 was designed to enable her to connectwith a broad range of people, from Heads of Stateto school children. In a part of the world facingmany economic and social challenges, Australiaprovides critical development assistance, capacitybuilding and partnership through bilateral andregional initiatives.Ms Bryce was accompanied throughout by TheHonourable Richard Marles MP, ParliamentarySecretary for Pacific Island Affairs. The itinerarycomprised Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Samoa, NewCaledonia, Nauru, Federated States of Micronesiaand Solomon Islands.Highlights included visits to the Kiribati MarineTraining Centre, the Australian Pacific TechnicalCollege in Apia, the Nauti primary school inFunafuti and the Island Food Community ofPohnpei. The Governor-General gave two majoraddresses, to the Parliament of Samoa and aWomen’s Leadership Forum in Honiara. The latterevent followed the launch of two financial literacybooklets written for women in Solomon Islands,in a joint project by the Australian Governmentand the International Women’s DevelopmentAgency, of which Ms Bryce is Patron. In Tonga, theGovernor-General represented Australia at theState Funeral of His Majesty King Tupou V. In Nauru,she met with the President, the Speaker, and seniorwomen. In New Caledonia, she attended a militaryparade and wreath laying ceremony at Place BirHakeim, Noumea.Recurring topics of discussion included educationand employment opportunities, domestic violence,environmental and health issues, and gender equality.The Governor-General thanked many of theAustralians living and working in the Pacific for theimportant work they do, including police officersand defence personnel deployed to the RegionalAssistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), aidworkers, teachers and volunteers, representatives ofnon-government organisations, and business people.Annual Report 2011–201235