ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: My friend, it is a real honour to welcome you and your considerable delegation, all of your senior members here in Canberra. And I know you've already enjoyed dinner with the Foreign Minister, discussion with the Treasurer, the Deputy Prime Minister and of course, our Minister for the Pacific who loves PNG. Between him and our Deputy Prime Minister, I think there’s a competition for how much, I think they might be applying for visas. They are almost honorary PNG citizens. But we are, our relationship is so important. And we know that in 1975 was so important in the role that the Whitlam Labor Government played in the independence of Papua New Guinea. And ever since then, we are partners. And we are partners of equals, that is so important. Prime Minister, you gave me the honour of addressing your parliament, and we will return that honour for you next year, in you addressing our Australian parliament in a joint sitting in February. Today we have a significant agreement. Our bilateral security agreement will be in the interests of both of our nations, but importantly as well, in the interests of security around the region. Our economic relationship is growing and it's never been more important, as well. And our cultural links are of course, so strong. I'm pleased that the Prime Minister's XIII just got across the line in Port Moresby. It was a nervous moment when you lead six-nil and then came back to twelve all. But we share a love of rugby league. Well, certainly this side, but certainly that is important as well. The agreement that we have, I know, is a priority of yours that we'll make today. It will also reinforce internal security in PNG that's so important for your economic future, as well as for your social cohesion there and we will play a role in that, as friends should. This is a relationship where we can just talk through issues, we rely upon each other. At the PIF meeting your Deputy did very well. And we continue to engage in international forums. We were able to meet at APEC in San Francisco just a few weeks ago. And once again, you are very welcome here and I'd invite you to say a few words.
JAMES MARAPE, PRIME MINISTER: On our side, we have no complaint in our relationship. It was Prime Minister Whitlam, who allowed the Australian flag to be lowered in 1975. But more importantly, prepare for self-governance. December 1st, 1973, last December 1st, I was addressing parliament and I reminded the parliament it was on this day 50 years ago, and the Australian leaders under Labor that decided to allow us to self govern in preparation for independence. And since then, we've had journey for 18 years, through 48 years. And we have up moments and down moments. In all our moments and down moments Australia have shared with us, those moments as we journey through sovereignty in 48 years we've been independent. So today, for you to invite us to be in your parliament, not just for today signing but yesterday having dinner on the rooftop of you parliament, for today coming in, in the last day your having your parliament sitting for us to have this historic moment where we will further enhance our two nations relationship. PNG security, not just external security, but more importantly, internal security is in Australia's interests as much as it is in PNG interest. We are the only Pacific country that buffers Asia. We have land border across into Asia. We have sea cross into Asia. And then we have outreach into the greater Pacific than you and me have big brother-sister roll over in ensuring that they're well cared for. The emergence of PNG, the security of PNG, the strength of PNG is in our shared interest. I have a famous line that goes like this, if PNG fails, that everybody else up there will be on canoes coming to the mother country. Because it was in 1975 that we were one, we were under Canberra administration. The structure of government, we have in Port Moresby, the sovereignty border we have in Port Moresby was carved out even before we were independent. And so I want to place on record here in the Parliament House appreciation as a country, the seven Prime Ministers before me and myself as the Prime Minister would, in no way shape or form dilute the greater role Australia's played in our sovereignty and our independence we've had today. Representing here, I just want to say once again, thank you and we look forward to the signing that will come later. It goes to entrench deeper our own rich relationship. You know, Papua New Guinea sits on about five plate tectonics, that holds the geological structure of what is Papua New Guinea. So in the five plate tectonics, the biggest one is the Australian plate that rides deep into the Gulf of Papua. That that just symbolises the bond we have, physically, and the bond we have in terms of our government to government relationship. Now our shared value is unmatched anywhere else. Our shared history and past is unmatched with other relationships we have. Anything we do is a construct for the future. The future is uncertain, but we have certainty today. Our work today secures what will come out into the future. So I look forward to our own engagements after the media has left, and I look forward to the signing. It is something that we have asked for. It is something that you have also asked for. It's something, it's an agreement that we both want that secures your national interests as well as our national interest. And it's not something that we have constructed on our own, we are equal partners. I look forward in our both moments. Right, another sail on our 50th anniversary. I just have to throw this one in, excuse the public servants. It is a Pangu and Labor government once again, as we did secure 50 years ago before, in preparation for independence, the relationship when Labor granted Pangu Papua New Guinea preparation for independence. What is before us is security of all forms. I think this agreement differs with other agreements we've signed that looks exclusively at one form of security. This one is all embracing whilst a strength and greater focus on internal security. I am happy that it has the comfort of look into all aspects of security in totality so that PNG and Australia remain friends as ever.