australia papua new guinea business council one hundred and fifty ...

AUSTRALIA PAPUA NEW GUINEA BUSINESS COUNCIL
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIRST EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
AGENDA ITEM 7: WORK PROGRAM
WORK PROGRAM 2011.
A. 27th AUSTRALIA PAPUA NEW GUINEA BUSINESS FORUM, MADANG, SUNDAY 15
TO TUESDAY 17 MAY 2011.
We are still awaiting finalisation from our colleagues in Papua New Guinea of the accounts for
this Forum, and advice of any further distribution due to this Council.
WORK PROGRAM 2012.
A. REVIEW OF APEC BUSINESS TRAVEL CARD.
On 1 November 2012 the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship announced the new
arrangements for issue of APEC Business Travel Card. The arrangements appear to be in line
with the arrangements earlier advised by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. We
have expressed misgivings about the system being put in place, but now it is operational we
will need to see how it operates.
Attached:
Statement by Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and related papers.
B. RELATIONS WITH AUSAID.
On Tuesday 21 August 2012 the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Bob Carr,
launched AusAID’s Private Sector Engagement Strategy. The President and Executive
Director attended. Discussions have been held with AusAID about arranging a meeting to
discuss the detail of the implementation of the Strategy, which now seems likely to occur in
Sydney around the time of the next executive committee meeting scheduled for 21 February
2012. At the June meeting of the committee is was agreed to form a Working Group to drive
the business side of the engagement strategy. It is proposed that the Working Group be
activated. The membership of the Working Group will be open to all interested parties, but
those who indicated an initial interest were the Presidents of the three Councils, Ian Clarke
(Immediate Past President of the APNGBC), Caleb Jarvis and Sean Rooney (formerly of The
Foundation for Development Co-operation) who will be replaced by Stephen Taylor his
successor at FDC. Others are welcome to nominate.
C. ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION TREATY.
A further round of negotiations is scheduled to be held in Brisbane on Wednesday 14
November. Members will be aware we have been concerned at the lack of adequate
consultation by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In January 2011, at DFAT’s
request, the Council made some suggestions about business related inclusions it would like to
see in the Treaty. It has been of continuing concern that at no stage since, despite requests
and reminders, has DFAT engaged with the Council on the proposals. A copy of the Council
proposals is attached. DFAT recently offered a briefing to the executive committee on Tuesday
13 November in Brisbane, but after consultation with the President and Vice-Presidents, none
of whom were available at the notice provided, the briefing was declined. A briefing will now be
provided at the executive committee meeting.
Attached:
Letter dated 17 January 2011 to Jeremy Bruer, Assistant Secretary, PNG and Fiji Branch,
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
D. AUSTRALIA PAPUA NEW GUINEA BILATERAL BUSINESS AND OFFICIALS
WORKING GROUP.
Following the cancelled (by DFAT) meeting agreed to be held in Port Moresby in early August
2012, and the failure of DFAT to respond to a proposal by the Council that a further meeting
take place in Port Moresby in the week commencing 5 November, there has not been a further
meeting. We need to push DFAT to schedule a meeting very early in 2013.
E. POSSIBLE UPGRADED RELATIONSHIP WITH APNGBC MEMBERS IN CAIRNS.
Some further preliminary discussions have taken place with Mr Kleinhardt, but proposals have
not yet been developed to the stage of bringing forward to the committee any concrete